英语博客-北美风情 171、Going down in flames

　　This was a question from one of our listeners in China: What does the expression to go down in flames mean? In today’s episode¹, we’re happy to answer that and to give you some other related expressions. In this episode, you’ll learn about different situations that end in a dramatic and negative way where these expressions can be used. We just hope this episode doesn’t crash and burn!

　　Maura:  So, this expression is also used to talk about something negative, so something ended in a negative way.
Harp:  Yes. When something ends and it’s memorable² and dramatic in a negative way.
Maura:  Yeah. So it could be that something didn’t work or it failed. But any way you’re gonna use it, it has a negative ending in a memorable way.
Harp:  And it could be used for anything. It could be sports, or work, or a project, or business. Really, to go down in flames could be used for so many different situations.
Maura:  Right. Any situation where something can end and something dramatic can happen, really. Now, if you think of the image of an airplane, that’s connected to this expression. So you see an airplane flying and something’s not going well, the plane is going down, it’s falling to the ground, it’s going to crash. And the flames make the scene very dramatic and memorable, but it’s not a good thing, of course, that this plane is going to crash.
Harp:  Yeah. A plane crash is negative so that’s why to go down in flames is used in negative situations.

1 episode   

n.（作品的一段）情节，插曲，系列事件中之一

参考例句：

• The episode was a huge embarrassment for all concerned.这段小插曲令所有有关人员都感到非常尴尬。
• This episode remains sharply engraved on my mind.这段经历至今仍深深地铭刻在我的心中。

2 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。