go up in flames

Idioms  

1. Also, go up in smoke. Be utterly destroyed, as in This project will go up in flames if the designer quits, or All our work is going up in smoke. This idiom transfers a fire to other kinds of destruction. [Early 1900s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

go up in flames

That owes largely to the difficulty of preserving and projecting it, as it has a tendency to deteriorate and/or go up in flames.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026

But Blue Origin just saw its plans go up in flames during a ground test explosion of its flagship New Glenn rocket, which damaged their launch platform and heralded delays.

From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026

He estimated there are more than 400 tons of dead and downed material per acre that could go up in flames.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2025

This week saw further conflict in the Middle East, MPs vote to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales, and another SpaceX rocket go up in flames.

From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2025

You’re not supporting her recovery, you’re letting it go up in flames.

From "Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson