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.

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Example Sentences

AS IF SHE DIDN’T just drop a bombshell on us, Ama turns and whisks out of the office, closing the door behind her.

From Literature

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

From BBC

“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

“Did they drop a bombshell? Or was it in the pipelines?” said Sandy Hanvey, 54, a handyman from Cambridgeshire.

From Washington Post

We were counseled to give as much choice to the victims as possible and not to just drop a bombshell on their front doorstep out of the blue.

From MSNBC