to explode a bombshell
- phrasal verb
- Informal
:
soltar una bomba
- During the meeting, the CEO exploded a bombshell by announcing the company's merger with a rival firm.
Examples
-
After months of speculation, the politician finally exploded a bombshell about his resignation.
-
She exploded a bombshell when she revealed her plans to move abroad next year.
-
The journalist exploded a bombshell during the interview.
-
Did she really explode a bombshell last night?
-
After months of speculation, the politician finally exploded a bombshell about his resignation.
-
During the meeting, the CEO exploded a bombshell by announcing the company's merger with a rival firm.
-
She exploded a bombshell when she revealed her plans to move abroad next year.
Synonyms
∞
2.3
Show something that was hidden or secret
342
4.1
Reveal hidden facts or bad actions to people
109
4.1
To make something known for the first time
18
6.0
Tell a secret by accident before others know
8
6.8
Reveal secret information that shocks people
8
3.7
Make secret information known to the public
5
5.1
To tell a secret that should be kept
4
5.5
To suddenly tell people something very surprising that shocks them
3
6.2
To tell people shocking news suddenly
2
8.1
To surprise someone suddenly and very strongly
2
3.4
To tell important news to many people in public
1
6.5
To make a secret suddenly become known
Antonyms
How Shocking
Surface Forms
Morphology
If a learner knows 'explode' (to burst violently) and 'bombshell' (a shocking revelation), they can fairly directly infer that 'explode a bombshell' means to cause or release shocking news; the basic compositional logic is present. However, the phrase is metaphorical and relies on a specific collocation (more commonly 'drop a bombshell'), so the connection is not fully predictable for all learners without exposure.
Etymology
Explode a bombshell comes from the image of a real bomb going off. A bombshell is like a heavy explosive that suddenly makes a loud shock, and explode shows the sudden action, so to explode a bombshell means to make a sudden, 'shocking' announcement that surprises everyone.