The phrase 'blown to smithereens' usually means blowing something into pieces and tearing things apart. The pieces would have been turned into tiny fragments that cannot be fixed. It often happens in wars during explosions that throw remains and pieces of things or human bodies far away.

What is the meaning blown to smithereens?

To be smashed or blasted into tiny, fragmentary pieces. The soldiers detonated the explosives and watched the vehicle blow to smithereens. The gunpowder stored below somehow ignited, and the entire ship blew to smithereens. 2. To smash or blast something into tiny pieces.

Is smithereens a real word?

'Smithereens' is an Irish word. It derives from, or is possibly the source of, the modern Irish 'smidirín', which means 'small fragments'. There is a town near Baltimore, close to the south-west coast of Ireland, called Skibbereen. ... 'Smiodar' means fragments in Irish Gaelic.