drop a bombshell en · VERB
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Meanings
-
(idiomatic) To announce surprising or alarming information suddenly and without warning.
When the two men got together to discuss contract arrangements, the challenger dropped a bombshell. "If you lie down you can have the whole purse — $10,000," O'Brien told him.²³
2000, Dan McCaffery, Tommy Burns: Canada's Unknown World Heavyweight Champion, page 135:"Yeah, you are my baby's daddy. Well I have to leave, but we'll be in touch." Asia dropped a piece of paper on my desk and walked out the door with a huge smile on her face.[…]How could Asia just come in and drop a bombshell and then walk out like there was nothing to it?
2009, Marion Brown III, The Worst Part of Me, page 116:John and Rick were knee-deep in pre-production when the client dropped a bombshell: Both of the tax services spots had been killed, but they still needed to air something in the same time frame.
2002, Lisa Hickey, Design Secrets: Advertising: 50 Real-Life Projects Uncovered, page 64:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| dropping a bombshell | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| drops a bombshell | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| dropped a bombshell | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| dropped a bombshell | Tense=Past | lexicographic |
Synonyms
Translations (6)
de eine Bombe platzen lassen (to announce surprising information without warning) · fr donner bombe (to announce surprising information without warning) · es dar bombazo (to announce surprising information without warning) · ca tirar una bomba (to announce surprising information without warning) · pt dar bomba (to announce surprising information without warning) · it dare notizia esplosiva (to announce surprising information without warning)