smash hit
a great success
TRANSLATION
smash hit = der Riesenerfolg, der Bombenerfolg (woerterbuch.info, DH) --- GOOGLE INDEX smash hit: approximately 1,300,000 hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
Overall, Sony has shipped more than 10 million PSP units worldwide since it went on sale a year ago, making it a moderate success but not a SMASH HIT.
(Variety Magazine)
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Although convertible bonds have failed to inspire investors in Europe, the product has been a SMASH HIT in the U.S.
(adapted from www.euromoney.com)
(Variety Magazine)
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Although convertible bonds have failed to inspire investors in Europe, the product has been a SMASH HIT in the U.S.
(adapted from www.euromoney.com)
Did you
know?
smash hit
noun phrase
- something that is a huge success, typically in the entertainment industry.
(DH)
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WORD ORIGIN
The first instance of the word "hit” to mean a successful theatre play or song is from around 1811. As far back as 1400, "to hit the mark” was used to denote success. This expression originated from archery to describe hitting the centre of a target.
Using smash (kaputtschlagen, niederschmettern) in the context of success was first recorded in 1923 in a variety magazine article about a Broadway play. While smash hit would appear to be redundant, it nevertheless is applied when something is not just a success, but a fantastic success!
Reggae legend Bob Marley once said, "One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.” The Jamaican star unfortunately suffered the pain of cancer and died at the young age of 36, but not before recording several smash hits like "No Woman, No Cry”, "Get Up, Stand Up” and "I Shot The Sheriff”.
Other rock/pop icons ended their careers prematurely, not due to illness but because they dug their own graves through drug or alcohol abuse or both. Janis Joplin died at 27 from a heroin and whiskey overdose. Her biggest selling single, the smash hit "Me and Bobby McGee”, was not released until after her death. The Doors lead singer Jim Morrison and guitar virtuoso Jimmy Hendrix also succumbed to drug overdoses at the age of 27.
The King of smash hits, Elvis Presley, had a long career in comparison. Still, he died at the relatively young age of 42 after suffering a heart attack from alleged barbiturate use. Presley had 18 songs that reached number one on Billboard Magazine's Top 100 Chart. Only the Beatles, with 20 number one Billboard hits, can claim more. But keep an eye out for soul diva Mariah Carey. She has quietly racked up 17 number one Billboard hits since launching her career in 1990.
(The Online Etymology Dictionary, Billboard Magazine)
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SYNONYMS
coup, hole in one, homerun, knockout, masterstroke, number one, sell-out, sensation, smash, ten-strike, triumph, winner
(Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus)
---
ANTONYMS
bomb, bust, debacle, disaster, dud, fiasco, farce, flop, lemon, loser, non-starter, washout
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IMPRESS YOUR FRIENDS TODAY
say something like:
"If the initial sales figures are any indication, I believe we have a smash hit on our hands with this new product!”
noun phrase
- something that is a huge success, typically in the entertainment industry.
(DH)
---
WORD ORIGIN
The first instance of the word "hit” to mean a successful theatre play or song is from around 1811. As far back as 1400, "to hit the mark” was used to denote success. This expression originated from archery to describe hitting the centre of a target.
Using smash (kaputtschlagen, niederschmettern) in the context of success was first recorded in 1923 in a variety magazine article about a Broadway play. While smash hit would appear to be redundant, it nevertheless is applied when something is not just a success, but a fantastic success!
Reggae legend Bob Marley once said, "One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.” The Jamaican star unfortunately suffered the pain of cancer and died at the young age of 36, but not before recording several smash hits like "No Woman, No Cry”, "Get Up, Stand Up” and "I Shot The Sheriff”.
Other rock/pop icons ended their careers prematurely, not due to illness but because they dug their own graves through drug or alcohol abuse or both. Janis Joplin died at 27 from a heroin and whiskey overdose. Her biggest selling single, the smash hit "Me and Bobby McGee”, was not released until after her death. The Doors lead singer Jim Morrison and guitar virtuoso Jimmy Hendrix also succumbed to drug overdoses at the age of 27.
The King of smash hits, Elvis Presley, had a long career in comparison. Still, he died at the relatively young age of 42 after suffering a heart attack from alleged barbiturate use. Presley had 18 songs that reached number one on Billboard Magazine's Top 100 Chart. Only the Beatles, with 20 number one Billboard hits, can claim more. But keep an eye out for soul diva Mariah Carey. She has quietly racked up 17 number one Billboard hits since launching her career in 1990.
(The Online Etymology Dictionary, Billboard Magazine)
---
SYNONYMS
coup, hole in one, homerun, knockout, masterstroke, number one, sell-out, sensation, smash, ten-strike, triumph, winner
(Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus)
---
ANTONYMS
bomb, bust, debacle, disaster, dud, fiasco, farce, flop, lemon, loser, non-starter, washout
---
IMPRESS YOUR FRIENDS TODAY
say something like:
"If the initial sales figures are any indication, I believe we have a smash hit on our hands with this new product!”
