crash and burn

Fail utterly, as in Dale crashed and burned three times before passing the bar exam . This idiom alludes to a car or airplane that has crashed and caught fire. [ Slang ; 1970s]
In skateboarding and other sports, be taken out of competition by a collision, accident, or fall, as in Although she was favored to win the downhill race, she crashed and burned on her first run . [ Slang ; 1980s]

Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

It was like watching a teenager talk about their first love: sweet, but with the melancholic knowledge that it will almost certainly crash and burn.

From

There are those who believe there will be a loud crash soon, or to employ mythology, Trump risks flying too close to the Sun, like Icarus, and will crash and burn.

From

“Moms also saw the Build Back Better bill, which had a paid leave proposal, crash and burn in Congress due to GOP opposition.”

From

“I really had a big crash and burn,” she said.

From

None of this felt like persuasive evidence for why they wouldn’t crash and burn in the postseason as they have in each of the previous three years.

From

crash Crashaw

Browse