go down in flames

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go down in flames

Where it comes from

The figurative sense is by metaphor from the literal sense. Attested since the early 20th century, ever since aeroplanes appeared but especially since World War I, when shooting them out of the sky first became a widespread thing.

verb goes down in flames · going down in flames · went down in flames · gone down in flames

idiomatic To fail miserably and with long-term consequences.
Similar: crash and burn
Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see go, down, in, flames: descend while aflame, crash and burn, etc. Near-synonym: crash and burn
Similar: crash and burn

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MLA

"go down in flames." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/go%20down%20in%20flames. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

go down in flames. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/go%20down%20in%20flames

Chicago

"go down in flames." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/go%20down%20in%20flames.

BibTeX

@misc{go_down_in_flames_2026,
  title = {go down in flames},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/go%20down%20in%20flames},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}