Meaning Destroy an argument or theory.
Usage Worldwide, although rather old-fashioned.
Example
- They sent their perpetual motion ideas to the Royal Society. Of course, it was all nonsense and they were shot down in flames.
Pronunciation
Idiom
Shoot down in flames
What does "Shoot down in flames" mean?
Destroy an argument or theory.
Shoot down in flames
Britain, 1940s. An allusion to fighter planes being shot down.