1. go down in flames - Verb
2. go down in flames - Phrase
go down in flames (third-person singular simple present goes down in flames, present participle going down in flames, simple past went down in flames, past participle gone down in flames)
(idiomatic) To fail miserably and with long-term consequences.
I think the US is in a terrible state of denial ... Worse than that, we seem to be caught in a kind of Götterdämmerung response: we'd rather have the world go down in flames than change our lifestyle or admit we're wrong. Kim Stanley Robinson
You're here to sweat. This program is live. There's about one thousand million people watching you. So, you remember - one wrong word, one foolish gesture and your whole career could go down in flames. Hold that thought and have a nice night. Paul Hogan
So it's gonna be forever Or it's gonna go down in flames. You can tell me when it's over If the high was worth the pain. Got a long list of ex-lovers, They'll tell you I'm insane. 'Cause you know I love the players, And you love the game. Taylor Swift
There is only one reason I did not go down in flames over the Angers, and that is because I knew I had Julie in the back. Would never have had the presence of mind to put that fire out if I hadn't been trying to save her life. Elizabeth Wein