To Go Down in Flames

Example 1:

Hey, Marty! What are you doing for your birthday?

I think I am going to have a party at Fabulous 5.

Wait! They went out of business!

What?! Are you sure? They closed down?!

Yeah. Apparently there were leaks in the restrooms, holes in the walls, the chairs and tables were old and starting to break, and on top of all that, they owed a lot of money to the government. They had no choice!

Oh, man! Yeah, I guess it’s  true! The place was in pretty bad shape, but they had the nicest people working there and the DJs were always awesome! It’s hard to believe they would go down in flames like that!

I know! I’ll miss their cocktails… They were pretty good and they only cost $3.00!

Well, maybe that’s why they were not making enough money… I will never forget Fabulous 5!

Example 2:

Hey Susan,

Jonathan is my brother-in-law. He is an experienced banker and is currently looking for a job. His career went down in flames after his company accused him of stealing from them… I don’t believe that actually happened and now he can’t get a job anywhere. Do you think you could interview him if you need someone?

Sincerely,

Cibelle

Meaning of “to go down in flames”: To be ruined, to fail, to end completely or suddenly.

http://languagesystems.edu/

To let someone down

Idiom: To let someone down; used as a verb

First Example:

Jeffrey was sure he could make the goal, so he asked Thomas to kick him the ball. But he missed the goal and his team lost. He really let them down. 

Second Example:

Jenna promised her mom that they would have breakfast together on Mother's Day, but she forgot to set her alarm.  When she woke up at 11am, she called her mom, but she had already had gone out for brunch with a friend. Jenna said she was sorry that she let her mom down and promised to make up for it next week.

Meaning: To "let someone down" means to fail or disappoint that person or group. Usually, this expression is used when the person/group being let down was relying on the person to be successful, and the failure was that person's fault. In the first example/illustration above, Jeffrey missed  after he said he was sure that he could make the goal; if he hadn't said he could make it, he wouldn't have let them down. In the second example, Jenna let her mom down after sleeping through the Mother's Day breakfast she promised.

http://www.languagesystems.com/