go down like a bomb—(UK coll.)
1. be very successful; be received with great enthusiasm (also: go down a bomb):
- All the songs went down like a bomb…. You could hear a pin drop as he sang the melancholic ballad in the deathly silence.
2. (rare) fail to have the intended effect; produce disappointment:
- His dream was to make a car that would go down like a bang…. Then a terrible recession ensured that by the time this futuristic car was available it went down like a bomb.
go like a bomb—(coll.)
1. (of articles on sale) sell in great numbers:
- Suits like that go like a bomb in London stores right now.
2. = go down like a bomb 1:
- A slight failure with the pudding makes the other women happy and the evening goes like a bomb.
3. (of a vehicle) run extremely well; go very fast:
- My car goes like a bomb since I put that new engine in and I’m really enjoying it!