# What exactly is a "smithereen"?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-a-smithereen/10940>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 24, 2000, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-a-smithereen/10940 "2000-04-24T06:21:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Red\_2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a5b964/32.png) [@Red\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_2)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2000, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-a-smithereen/10940/1 "2000-04-24T06:21:00Z")

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…as in “blasted to…”. I heard this phrase used time and again but I realized don’t know what a smithereen is!

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“I’m hungry, let’s get a taco.” - Mr. White

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**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2000, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-a-smithereen/10940/2 "2000-04-24T06:27:00Z")

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From Webster’s on AOL:

> [@](#):
>
> smith_er_eens (noun plural)
> 
> [perhaps from Irish smidirini]
> 
> First appeared 1829
> 
> : FRAGMENTS, BITS \<the house was blown to ~ by the explosion\>

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**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2000, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-a-smithereen/10940/3 "2000-04-24T06:42:00Z")

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To be precise, the Irish word is smidríní.