When Did Smithereens Become a Word?

Although no one is entirely positive about its precise origins, scholars think that smithereens likely developed from the Irish word smidiríní, which means "little bits." That Irish word is the diminutive of smiodar, meaning "fragment." According to print evidence, the plural form smithereens first appears in English ...

When was the word smithereens first used?

Smithereens came to the English language around 1810 as “smiddereens,” from the Irish word “smidirin,” which is the diminutive form of “smiodar,” which means "fragment."

Where did the term blown to smithereens originate?

The phrase “blown to smithereens” despite having various derivatives is stated to have been first used by Francis Plowden in his The History of Ireland, which was published in 1801. It has been used there as “we will break your carriage in smithereens.” Later it has evolved into “blown into smithereens.”