went down in flames
Crashed and burned
Went down in flames means to fail spectacularly and publicly.
The image is of an aircraft crashing in a fireball—total, visible destruction.
It applies to projects, relationships, careers, or performances that don't just fail but collapse dramatically: His campaign went down in flames after the scandal broke.
The phrase emphasizes both the completeness of the failure and its conspicuousness.
- meltdownCatastrophic loss of control
- fireballLuminous meteor or explosion
- disasterSudden ruinous event
- humiliationLoss of dignity
- downfallSudden loss of power
spectacle · fiasco · calamity · catastrophe · wreckage · inferno · bomb · flameout · collapse · debacle · destruction · embarrassment · crash and burn · crash landing · epic fail · blaze · up in smoke · explosion
went down in flamestriumphed
Achieved decisive victory
hit it out of the park · crushed it · nailed it · killed it · flourished
went, down, downer, downers, downward, downwards, inwards, flame, flames