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

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

From BBC • Dec. 22, 2022

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 • Jun. 12, 2019

But the government had no idea that Kinder Morgan Canada was about to drop a bombshell.

From Reuters • Apr. 15, 2018

It would seem hard for a man who has been locked away since the early 1990s to drop a bombshell on his wife, but he did, in a telephone call last year.

From New York Times • Sep. 21, 2012

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 "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer