Dictionary

smithereens en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (General-American) audio
• /smɪðəˈɹiːnz/ (Ireland, Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˌsmɪðəˈɹinz/ (General-American)

Etymology

Uncertain. The following words, all first attested later than the headword, have been compared: * Irish smidiríní, smiodairíní (“smithereens”), from smiodar (“broken piece, fragment”) + -ín (suffix forming diminutive nouns) + -í (slender form of -aí (suffix forming plurals of some nouns)). * smither (“fragment; atom”), which would be suffixed with -een (forming diminutive nouns in Irish English). * Hiberno-English (Wexford) smaddereen, a variant of smattering (“small amount or number of something; shallow or superficial knowledge of a subject”). * Hiberno-English (Wexford) smithered, smashed

Meanings

1. (informal, plural, plural-only) Fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items.
   • When the waiter dropped the platter, one smithereen struck him above the knee, and the four remaining smithereens scattered across the floor.
   • The world's smallest violin / Really needs an audience / So if I do not find somebody soon (That's right, that's right) / I'll blow up into smithereens 2021 March 26, AJR, “World's Smallest Violin”, in OK Orchestra, US: AJR Productions, BMG Rights Management, →OCLC:
   • However, something once happened on the railway there which showed the very best of mankind: heroism, duty, self-sacrifice and calm professionalism under terrible pressure. It is a story which gives us far, far better reasons for remembering this attractive little town, which without these heroes would have been blown to smithereens in a gigantic explosion. (Two railwaymen lost their lives in 1944 when a wagon in an ammunition train caught fire and blew up, an even worse disaster was averted however.) 2022 January 12, Benedict le Vay, “The heroes of Soham...”, in RAIL, number 948, page 42:
   • The urn shattered into smithereens the moment it hit the ground.

Forms

Synonyms

shivereens · smithers · shards

Translations (40)

sv småbitar (fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items) · es cacharros (fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items) · cmn 碎片 (fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items) · gl anacos (fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items) · de Stückchen (fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items) · ja 欠片 木っ端微塵 (fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items) · bg отломки (fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items) · fr miettes (fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items) · sh paramparčad (fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items) · gl anaquiños (fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items) · nb fillebiter (fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items) · nl gruzelementen (fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items) · sh парампарчад (fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items) · th ผุยผง (fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items) · pl kawałeczki (fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items) · fi päreiksi (fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items) · nn småbitar (fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items) · ko 산산조각 (fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items) · cs cimprcampr (fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items) · gv smithereenyn (fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items) · bg парчета (fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items) · ru осколки (fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items) · fi säpäleet (fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items) · cmn 齏粉 /齑粉 (fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items) · it frantumi (fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items) · he רְסִיסִים (fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items) · es pedazos (fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items) · pt pedacinhos (fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items) · fi sirpaleet (fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items) · ru черепки (fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items) · de Stücke (fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items) · de Splitter (fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items) · nb småbiter m pl tusen knas (fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items) · fi murska (fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items) · es trizas (fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items) · es trozos (fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items) · ro bucățele (fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items) · fi tuusannuuska (fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items) · cs padrť (fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items) · es añicos (fragments or splintered pieces; numerous tiny disconnected items)