smithereens
/ˌsmɪðəˈriːnz
/(also smithers /ˈsmɪðəz/)
plural noun informal
Small pieces: a grenade blew him to smithereens...
- The Golden Dragon is blown into smithereens and pieces of the cargo ship lands into the water after being blown sky high.
- We can watch movies, in which hundreds of people get blown to smithereens.
- It would also be legal to use force to enter their house/apartment/hotel room and set about smashing their stereo to smithereens with a hurley.
Origin
Early 19th century: probably from Irish smidirín.
This word for tiny fragments into which something is broken was first recorded in the early 19th century. It probably comes from Irish smidirín from smiodar ‘fragment’.