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Glite Dictionary
to drop the McNuke

to drop the McNuke

9.9
Suddenly bring up a shocking topic to change the tone of a discussion
  • idiom
  • Slang
: lanzar el McNuke
  • Whenever politics comes up at dinner, someone inevitably drops the McNuke and things get heated.

Examples

  • He knew the meeting was too quiet, so he decided to drop the McNuke about the budget cuts.

  • She warned me not to drop the McNuke during the job interview if I wanted to be hired.

  • Don't drop the McNuke in this meeting!

  • She always dropped the McNuke when discussions got boring.

  • During the debate, he chose to drop the McNuke about the controversial policy changes, leading to a heated argument.

  • She decided to drop the McNuke about the layoffs during the conference call, catching everyone off guard.

  • He often drops the McNuke in casual conversations to stir up reactions among his friends.

Synonyms

to turn (something) on its head
vsto drop the McNuke
  • Informal
12 6.5

Make people see something in a very different way

instead shifts tone by suddenly introducing a provocative or controversial subject
to stir the pot
vsto drop the McNuke
  • Informal
8 8.0

To cause trouble by saying things to make people argue

instead acts suddenly to change a discussion by a shocking topic
to cause a stir
vsto drop the McNuke
6 4.0

Make people feel excited or upset and attract attention

creates a stronger, sudden provocation that shifts the discussion
to drop the bomb
vsto drop the McNuke
3 6.2

To tell people shocking news suddenly

introduces a provocative topic that shifts the discussion tone dramatically
to spark debate
vsto drop the McNuke
2 3.7

To make people start talking and disagree about a topic

focuses more on abrupt insertion to change tone rather than gradual debate
to spark a firestorm
vsto drop the McNuke
1 7.0

To cause many people to show strong public anger or criticism

does the same but as a sudden topic drop within a discussion
to spark a debate
vsto drop the McNuke
1 3.7

To cause people to start a strong, lively discussion

is more sudden and aims to alter the conversation's direction strongly
to spark heated debate
vsto drop the McNuke
1 5.4

Cause strong arguments about a topic, often on public issues

is about abruptly inserting a provocative subject that changes the tone
to detonate controversy
vsto drop the McNuke
8.1

To cause a strong public argument that divides people

is similar but focuses on a sudden provocative topic change
to open a hornets' nest
vsto drop the McNuke
  • Informal
7.7

To cause a lot of trouble and anger among people

does the same but by abruptly introducing a heated subject into talk
to turn up on its ear
vsto drop the McNuke
  • US
8.6

To change a situation completely and suddenly

similarly changes direction but specifically by adding a controversial topic

Antonyms

to avoid
∞ 1.0

To stay away from something or not do it to stop something bad from happening

How Provocative

to drop the McNuke
  • Slang
9.9
to bring up
788 2.6
to mention
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

drop the McNuke infinitive
dropping the McNuke present participle
drops the McNuke third person singular
dropped the McNuke past
dropped the McNuke past participle

Morphology

drop + the + McNuke

The verb 'drop' (to introduce or let fall into conversation) is transparent and cues the act of introducing something. However, 'McNuke' is a nonce/proper-form coinage (not a known lexical item) that only partially evokes 'nuke' (a bomblike or shocking thing) and adds an unpredictable ironic/prefixed nuance; because the key noun is not a standard, deducible word, the overall meaning is only partially predictable to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Drop the McNuke may come from combining the image of 'drop the bomb' with a huge 'nuke': imagine the verb drop and a big, loud McNuke falling into a quiet room and the calm suddenly explodes. That's why it means to suddenly bring up a shocking or controversial topic that changes the whole conversation.