in flames

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

Archived revision by NadandoBot (talk | contribs) as of 04:46, 27 November 2018.

(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)

Jump to navigation Jump to search

See also: inflames and inflamés

English

Etymology

By analogy with fighter planes being shot down and bursting into flames.

Prepositional phrase

(figuratively, with a verb) Dramatically and with no hope of recovery.

Usage notes

Chiefly used in constructions such as "go down in flames" and "shoot down in flames", often in the passive voice

Anagrams

flamines, misfalne

Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=in_flames&oldid=50854098"