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REFERENCE

blow to kingdom come

idiom
Meaning

To totally destroy (something); to annihilate or wipe out (something).


Origin

disputed origin

From blow (“to cause to explode, shatter, or be utterly destroyed”) + to + kingdom come (“place that one will go to after one’s death, afterlife; death; state of complete annihilation; heaven or paradise”). Kingdom come is derived from the phrase “Thy kingdom come” from the Lord’s Prayer which is recorded in Matthew 6:9–13 and Luke 11:2–4 in the Bible: see, for example, Matthew 6:10 in the King James Version (spelling modernized): “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, in earth, as it is in heaven.” By these sentences, Jesus seeks the establishment of the rule of God the Father over the Earth in the future.

Examples
SIMPLE

The explosion blew the old shed to kingdom come.

CONTEXTUAL

The demolition crew used enough dynamite to blow the entire abandoned factory to kingdom come.

COMPLEX

The catastrophic failure of the main reactor threatened to blow the entire research facility to kingdom come, forcing an immediate evacuation of all personnel.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    as they come

    As it is possible to be.

  2. 02

    blow a fuse

    To lose one's temper; to become enraged.

  3. 03

    blow a hole through

    To destroy the integrity or cohesion of.

  4. 04

    blow a kiss

    To kiss one's own hand, then blow on it in a direction towards the recipient.

  5. 05

    blow away

    To kill (someone) by shooting them with a firearm.

  6. 06

    blow chunks

    To vomit chunks of undigested food.

  7. 07

    blow hot air

    To engage in empty or exaggerated talk that lacks substance, credibility, or truth; to bluster.

  8. 08

    blow hot and cold

    To behave inconsistently; to vacillate or to waver, as between extremes of opinion or emotion.

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