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Glite Dictionary
to end in smoke

to end in smoke

8.1
To fail completely and have no useful result
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : terminar en humo
  • Her plans to start a new business may end in smoke without proper funding.

Examples

  • Despite their high hopes, the project would only end in smoke if they ignored the experts.

  • Don't let your efforts end in smoke!

  • Countless negotiations have ended in smoke over the years due to stubborn disagreements.

  • Their plans end in smoke after the meeting.

  • Countless negotiations have ended in smoke over the years due to stubborn disagreements.

  • Despite their high hopes, the project would only end in smoke if they ignored the experts.

  • Her plans to start a new business may end in smoke without proper funding.

Synonyms

to go up in smoke
vsto end in smoke
  • Informal
18 5.5

Plans or hopes suddenly fail and disappear for good

expresses total failure without stressing sudden or irretrievable loss
to come to nothing
vsto end in smoke
6 4.6

Fail to produce any result

has identical meaning but uses a different phrasing
to flame out
vsto end in smoke
  • Informal
6 7.5

To fail suddenly after a good start

means general complete failure rather than sudden dramatic end after early promise

Antonyms

to succeed
846 2.0

To reach a goal after trying hard

to thrive
241 3.2

To grow well and be successful

Surface Forms

end in smoke infinitive
ended in smoke past
ended in smoke past participle
ending in smoke present participle
ends in smoke third person singular

Morphology

end + in + smoke

The expression relies on a metaphor (things disappearing or being consumed, like smoke) rather than a strictly compositional meaning of 'end' + 'in' + 'smoke', so a B1 learner who only knows the literal senses would probably not reliably infer the idiomatic sense 'come to nothing' or 'fail'. However, the smoke-as-disappearance/metaphor cue is somewhat interpretable and parallels (e.g. 'go up in smoke') exist in many languages, making the phrase partially, but not fully, transparent.

Etymology

The phrase end in smoke comes from the image of something burning and leaving only smoke, with nothing left of the plan. So, it means 'to fail completely' or 'to produce no result'.