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Why is something blown 'to smithereens'?

smithereens.jpgQuestion

When something is “blown to smithereens”, where does that come from?
Nick, Hackbridge

Answer

** Definitive **
Name: Fulton, Covent Garden
Qualification: A good Irish education!
Answer: I was educated by Christian brothers in Ireland. They told us it was originally an Irish word. Een means little, as in Colleen meaning little girl. A smither means a part of. So if something’s in smithereens, it’s in small parts.

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