drop a bombshell

Idioms  

1. Make an unexpected or shattering announcement. For example, Bill dropped a bombshell when he said he was quitting. This expression, which alludes to the destruction caused by a falling bomb, dates from World War I.

---

Example Sentences

"Not only didn't you know who to trust, but you also had Claudia ready to come in and drop a bombshell."

From BBC

Because this is an election year and the Supreme Court is expected to drop a bombshell ruling on abortion any day, lawmakers fret that momentum for a deal can be brought to a standstill by outside forces.

From Washington Times

In court on Tuesday, prosecutor Brittain Shaw argued that Mr Sussman had hoped to drop a bombshell in the final days of the November 2016 race.

From BBC

But did Biden drop a bombshell on Thursday, or was he just leveling with the American people?

From Salon

“Lovers” can feel thin at times, though it’s a testament to Masad’s writing that I wanted more from the world she created: more depth to Iris’s letters, which read more like camp-pen-pal correspondence than confessions from the grave; and more dimension to Maggie’s dad, Peter, who spends most of the novel out of sorts, only to drop a bombshell at the end that feels pat and underexplored.

From Washington Post