blow out of the water

present singular third person blows out of the water · participle present blowing out of the water · past blew out of the water · participle past blown out of the water

1. idiomaticTo trounce; to defeat thoroughly, as at a game or in battle.

   1 more example

   This turn of events sheds a whole new light on the case. Destiny's attorneys seem to have a new pep in their step. They get busy making phone calls and assuring the family that things are about to turn in their favor. "We now have information to blow them out of the water!" the lead attorney asserts vigorously.

   2011, G. George, Another Job, page 166

2. nauticalTo rapidly destroy (a vessel) with overwhelming weapons fire.

   2 more examples

   […]And if I open fire - again, reading into the fact they've come clearly cleared for action and there is a mutual defense pact in place - well, I might survive a few fractions of a second longer than I would if I pointed my guns straight at them, but I'm still not really gonna be coming out of this intact, so... I'm not suicidal; I'm not gonna actually fulfill any of my mission objectives by getting myself blown out of the water; so, yeah, I - I would be frantically radioing the Kriegsmarine headquarters, saying "please, could I have some new orders, or, if I am going to have to die, can you please confirm that that's the case?"[…]

   2020 May 3, Drachinifel, 39:34 from the start, in The Drydock - Episode 092, archived from the original on 01 Oct 2022

   The somewhat-shattered San Francisco also managed to make it out, although not before she'd come within seconds of being blown out of the water by Helena, as the two had lost contact in the dark and the flagship had loomed back out of the murk with no one and nothing available to answer the light cruiser's challenge - the radio, the whistle, the signal lights, the flags, et cetera, had all been destroyed. Luckily, one of the few surviving signalmen found a small handheld signal light and managed to blink out the ship's hull number.

   2021 March 10, Drachinifel, 27:16 from the start, in Guadalcanal Campaign - The Big Night Battle: Night 1 (IJN 3(?) : 2 USN), archived from the original on 07 Nov 2022