[***Smashing***](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smashing) is a BrE slang which means "very good" or "impressive". Most folks might know this already, due to its use as a catch phrase by various BrE characters in media.

However, from the usual meaning of the word [***smash***](http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/smash) (which means *breaking with violence*), it's not obvious how it could come to mean "very good". Did this meaning come from a specific context, perhaps military, or sports?