English Reference
Idiom idiom

blow to kingdom come


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

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


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.


From *blow*, to shatter or destroy, and *kingdom come*, a reference to the afterlife or a state of complete annihilation. The latter element is derived from the phrase "Thy kingdom come" found in the Lord’s Prayer, recorded in the Bible in Matthew 6:9–13 and Luke 11:2–4. In the King James Version of Matthew 6:10, the petition is rendered as "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, in earth, as it is in heaven."

The scriptural origins involve Jesus seeking the future establishment of the rule of God the Father over the Earth. In the transition from liturgy to idiom, the arrival of this divine kingdom became synonymous with the immediate arrival of the individual at the point of their own death. To be sent there by explosion is merely a matter of accelerating the theological timeline.


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    appetite comes with eating

    Starting an activity increases one's desire to continue it.

  2. 02

    as the wind blows

    According to any given circumstances.

  3. 03

    as they come

    As it is possible to be.

  4. 04

    blow a fuse

    To lose one's temper; to become enraged.

  5. 05

    blow a hole through

    To destroy the integrity or cohesion of.

  6. 06

    blow a kiss

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

  7. 07

    blow away

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

  8. 08

    blow chunks

    To vomit chunks of undigested food.

Last updated August 10, 2026