Liam wasn’t exactly the king of science.
But this year, he had to enter the school science fair.
Why? Because the prize was a trip to NASA — and his crush, Mia, was on the judging panel.
He teamed up with his best friend, Jayden.
“I’ve got an idea,” Liam said.
Jayden raised an eyebrow.
“This better not blow up in our faces.”
Spoiler: it did.
Their “volcano-powered smoothie blender” exploded halfway through their presentation.
Mia was coughing mango chunks. The principal was NOT amused.
After school, Liam sighed.
“Well… that went south fast.”
Jayden laughed. “Hey, at least we gave it a shot.”
Liam smiled.
“True. And I mean… I kinda crashed and burned, but it was worth it.”
The next day, Mia walked past and whispered,
“Next time, maybe skip the pineapple.”
He blushed.
“Noted.”
Idioms Used in the Story
1. Blow up in your face
Meaning: When a plan fails badly and unexpectedly.
Examples:
- My plan to surprise her totally blew up in my face.
- His prank blew up in his face — literally!
2. Go south (fast)
Meaning: To go wrong quickly.
Examples:
- The whole meeting went south fast.
- Our date went south after I spilled my drink.
3. Give it a shot
Meaning: Try something, even if you’re not sure it will work.
Examples:
- I didn’t think I could do it, but I gave it a shot.
- Just give it a shot — you might surprise yourself!
4. Crash and burn
Meaning: To fail spectacularly.
Examples:
- His joke totally crashed and burned.
- I tried to sing… and crashed and burned.
5. Noted
Meaning: A short way to say “I understand” or “I’ll remember that.”
Examples:
- Don’t eat garlic before dates. / Noted.
- You snore loud. / Noted.
