damp squib
damp squib · damp squibs
Blindgänger, Versager, Schuss in den Ofen, Reinfall
A firework that has been wet and therefore fails to go off correctlyA firework that has been wet and therefore fails to go off correctly.
» Russian fall offensive, ongoing now, so far, is a damp squib.
sacredceltic · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
2 senses(literally)A firework that has been wet and therefore fails to go off correctly.
Blindgänger, Versager
(broadly, idiomatic)Anything that does not work properly, or fails to come up to expectations; a dud.
Schuss in den Ofen, Reinfall, Schlag ins Wasser
Examples
2 sentencesRussian fall offensive, ongoing now, so far, is a damp squib.
The much anticipated new theatre production was unfortunately a bit of a damp squib in the end.
Translations
3 languagesDeutsch
By meaning 2
firework that fails to go off, due to wetting:
anything that doesn’t work properly:
Forms
plural: damp squibs| Singular | damp squib |
|---|---|
| Plural | damp squibs |
regular