bring (something) crashing down (around) (one)
1. Literally, to cause something to fall violently to the ground. (In this usage, "around (one)" is not usually part of the phrase.) On demolition day, a crew will bring that old building crashing down. Something must have gone wrong—I seriously doubt the construction workers were trying to bring that tree crashing down around them. I know that stadium is 50 years old, but I still can't believe the city is going to bring it crashing down.
2. To cause a distressing failure, especially one that profoundly affects or disrupts one's life or identity. Getting laid off from my job brought everything crashing down around me. I suspect that her husband's sudden death has brought her own life crashing down around her. It takes time to process a loss like that. When I was rejected by the university that was my top choice, it brought my whole world crashing down around me.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
bring something crashing down (around one)
1. Lit. to cause a structure to collapse and fall (on oneself). He hit the tent pole and brought the tent crashing down. When she removed the last vertical board, she brought the shed crashing down around her.
2. Fig. to destroy something, such as one's life and well-being, that one has a special interest in; to cause someone's basic orientation to collapse. She brought her whole life crashing down around her.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.