smithereens

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   very small fragments produced when something is shattered or destroyed

   The blast blew the empty shed to smithereens.

Probably from Irish smidirin, 'small fragment,' a diminutive related to smiodar, 'fragment,' though the exact route into Hiberno-English is uncertain. The word is normally plural and is especially common in the phrase to smithereens.

Topics