go up in smoke
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go up in smoke
1. To be destroyed by fire. I can't believe you left the oven on! Do you want the house to go up in smoke?
2. To fail or stop. My presentation went up in smoke when the slideshow stopped working.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
go up in smoke
COMMON If something that is important to you goes up in smoke, it fails or ends. The President's whole political future could go up in smoke if this plan fails. But with just eight minutes to go, Kennedy scored and Liverpool's dreams of glory went up in smoke.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
go up in smoke
1 be destroyed by fire. 2 (of a plan) come to nothing. informalFarlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
go up in ˈsmoke
1 be destroyed by fire: Their home went up in smoke before their eyes.
2 (of plans, etc.) be destroyed or ruined: Her plans to become a member of parliament went up in smoke when the newspapers printed a story about her drink problem.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017