blow up in somebody's face

blow up in (one's) face

To have a plan go wrong or awry. Mike was trying to sabotage my campaign, but the plan blew up in his face when I overhead him talking about it. Tina's decision to invest only in technology stocks has really blown up in her face. In an attempt to break them up, I told Donny all of the embarrassing things I know about Anne, but he seemed to find them all charming. Guess my plan blew up in my face.

See also: blow, face, up

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

blow up in somebody’s ˈface

(of a situation, plan, project, etc.) end or fail suddenly, with bad results: Starting up the business was difficult, and it all nearly blew up in his face when his partner fell sick at the last minute.

See also: blow, face, up

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017