Asteroid crash: a test run to save humanity | Learn English phrasal verb 'set off'
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Set Off a Nuclear Bomb Deep Inside an Asteroid
Today's expression is to set off. This is a phrasal verb with multiple meanings, but the way I used it today means to cause an explosion. It has been a while since I've seen the movie Armageddon, but luckily I had Wikipedia to remind me of the plot. A massive asteroid the size of Texas was heading for the Earth, and NASA has just 18 days to stop the asteroid. The answer involved a huge explosion. In the movies, this usually involves turning a key or pressing a combination into a key pad or connecting to wires or lighting a fuse or something.
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