to end in smoke
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To come to no practical result. The allusion is to kindling, which smokes, but will not light a fire.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to end in smoke” mean?
To come to no practical result. The allusion is to kindling, which smokes, but will not light a fire.
Is “to end in smoke” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.