Last Updated：2025/11/23

To catch fire and burn. / (idiomatic, by extension) To be completely ruined or devastated.

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go up in smoke

Source Word

go up in smoke

Verb

broadly idiomatic

To catch fire and burn. / (idiomatic, by extension) To be completely ruined or devastated.

Japanese Meaning

（文字通りの意味）火を噴き、燃え尽きる / （慣用句として）すべてが無駄になり、完全に失敗する

If a spark reaches the haystack, it could go up in smoke in seconds.

火花が干し草の山に届くと、数秒で発火して燃えてしまうことがある。

Sense（1）

To catch fire and burn.

Sense（2）

(idiomatic, by extension) To be completely ruined or devastated.

When the bank refused the credit, all our plans went up in smoke.

goes up in smoke

（ present singular third-person ）

going up in smoke

（ participle present ）

went up in smoke

（ past ）

gone up in smoke

（ participle past ）