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general::
1. Fail utterly, as in Dale crashed and burned three times before passing the bar exam. This idiom alludes to a car or airplane that has crashed and caught fire. [Slang; 1970s] 2. In skateboarding and other sports, be taken out of competition by a collision, accident, or fall, as in Although she was favored to win the downhill race, she crashed and burned on her first run. [Slang; 1980s]
American Heritage Idioms
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Phrase(s): crash and burn
1. Lit. [for a plane or car] to crash and burst into flames. • The small plane crashed and burned just after it took off. 2. Fig. to fail spectacularly. • Poor Chuck really crashed and burned when he made his presentation at the sales meeting.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs