A dictionary of Confusable Phrases: More Than 10,000 Idioms and Collocations

go down in smoke • go up in smoke
go down in smoke —(also: go down in flames) fail or end sud-
denly; come to nothing: This whole program went down in
smoke after the protests started.
go up in smoke —(also: go up in flames) 
1
. be destroyed by
fire: After his house went up in smoke, insurance and fire offi-
cials suddenly realized he was involved in a whole string of
arsons. 2. = go down in smoke: His hopes went up in smoke
as his car’s engine caught fire and arch enemy and team-mate
at the time, Jason Plato, became champion. 3. (coll.) lose one’s
temper: The highbrows in those parts all go up in smoke if
you confess to liking those native artists.
Note: 
The expression does not correlate in meaning with the
phrase go into smoke—(sl.) go into hiding: The delegate
returned anonymously, slipped ashore and “went into smoke”
like some famous criminal.
go down like a bomb • go like a bomb
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 futur-
istic 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 pud-
ding 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!