Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox! Both of its forms tie with Carbink and Dwebble as the shortest Rock-type.. Roughly once a second, a star somewhere in the universe explodes. Bone dry. Fragments or splintered pieces; bits. Blue blood. Delivered to your inbox! Smithereens Lyrics: You know / I've always been collected, calm and chill / And you know / I never look for conflict for the thrill / But if I'm feeling / Someone stepping towards you, can't describe It may be related to smithers which also means “small pieces.” It derives from, or is possibly the source of, the modern Irish 'smidirín', which means 'small fragments'. The urn shattered into smithereens … How to use nifty in a sentence. The actual origin is more prosaic. The Smithereens are an American rock band from Carteret, New Jersey, United States. David in Austin, Texas, wonders if smithereens, meaning “bits” or “fragments,” as in explode into smithereens, refers to little bits of metal left over from blacksmithing.Actually, the origin of smithereen is uncertain, although it may come from Irish English or Irish Gaelic, but no one’s really sure. Accessed 22 Jan. 2021. ‘The Golden Dragon is blown into smithereens and pieces of the cargo ship lands into the water after being blown sky high.’. Slippery Words Quiz—Changing with the Times. Another origin could be from the Co Mayo town of Kiltimagh, or Coillte Mach, with “culchie” emerging from the Irish word “coillte”, or “woods”. + Hiberno-English -een diminutive suffix (