bombshell

[ bom-shel ]

/ ˈbɒmˌʃɛl /

a bomb.

something or someone having a sudden and sensational effect: The news of his resignation was a bombshell.

Origin of bombshell

1700–10; 1925–30 for def 2; bomb + shell

bomblet, bombload, bombora, bombous, bombproof, bombshell, bombsight, bombycid, bombé, bommie, bomu

And instead of choosing to drop the Thor bombshell at the upcoming San Diego Comic Con, Marvel revealed the change on The View.

DC Comics’ Diversity Crisis: Why the Status Quo Rules |Liz Watson |July 20, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
She was also a buxom beauty, a kind of nineteenth century bombshell who loved to flirt.

Lincoln in Love |Jerome Charyn |February 14, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Then, at the end of the first trimester, John drops a bombshell: there is not one love-child, but two.

If The Peace Talks Were A Movie |Matthew Kalman |December 12, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
Feller also represents victim No. 2, whose story was the subject of bombshell trial testimony.

Sandusky Son to Settle |Diane Dimond |August 18, 2013 |DAILY BEAST

That would be quite a bombshell indeed—not to mention a prodigious technical feat.

A Geek’s Guide to the NSA Scandal: What You May Not Know About Data Collection |Charles Johnson |June 20, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
Had a bombshell fallen and exploded among the servants, they could not have been more shocked.

For Woman's Love |Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth
Revault in France showed in 1605 how a bombshell might be exploded by steam.

Inventions in the Century |William Henry Doolittle
The news fell like a bombshell upon a land in which Tom Mortlake's name was a household word.

The Big Bow Mystery |I. Zangwill
His appearance in the fray was like that of a bombshell timed to explode in its midst.

The Mountain Divide |Frank H. Spearman
When Mr. Noble's bombshell fell in Senator Dilworthy's camp, the statesman was disconcerted for a moment.

The Gilded Age, Complete |Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner

bombshell

/ (ˈbɒmˌʃɛl) /

(esp formerly) a bomb or artillery shell

a shocking or unwelcome surprise the news of his death was a bombshell

informal an attractive girl or woman (esp in the phrase blonde bombshell)

bombshell

see drop a bombshell.