1
general::
Phrase(s): go down in flames
1. Lit. [for a plane] to crash. • The enemy fighter planes went down in flames, ending the battle. • The pilot and crew went down in flames near the airport. 2. Fig. to fail spectacularly. • The whole project went down in flames. • Todd went down in flames in his efforts to win the heart of Marsha.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs