cliché: a barn burner

Meaning: something that causes a lot of interest or excitement (definition).

Example: The championship game between the top two contenders was a real barn burner.

Origins: American 1835-45, reference to burning down a barn to get rid of rats and the attention it causes. (Source.)

Rewrites:

• a barn razer
• a tower toppler
• a bridge dropper
• a roof collapser
• a sky blazer
• a river blocker

Discussion: While these don’t all have the same origins as a barn burning, they likely would all get public attention and acclaim.