fall flat

fall flat
verb
fail utterly; collapse
-

The project foundered

• Syn: ↑fall through, ↑founder, ↑flop
• Derivationally related forms: ↑flop (for: ↑flop)
• Hypernyms: ↑fail, ↑go wrong, ↑miscarry
• Verb Frames:
-

Something ——s

-

The business is going to fall flat

* * *

phrasal
: to produce no response or result : fail of the intended effect

his homespun jokes … fell flat on those grim-faced men — R.W.Thorp

* * *

fall flat
To fail completely, have no effect
• • •
Main Entry: ↑fall

* * *

fall flat phrase
to not succeed in entertaining someone or making them laugh

Without him the whole evening would have fallen flat.

My attempt at a joke fell flat.

Thesaurus: to fail, or to stop being successfulsynonym
Main entry: flat

* * *

fail completely to produce the intended or expected effect

his jokes fell flat

* * *

fall flat
: to produce no response or result

All of his jokes fell flat. [=no one laughed at his jokes]

• • •
Main Entry: ↑fall
————————
fall flat — see ↑fall, 1
• • •
Main Entry: ↑flat

* * *

fall ˈflat idiom
if a joke, a story, or an event falls flat, it completely fails to amuse people or to have the effect that was intended

•

Without Jem, the whole evening would have fallen flat.

Main entry: ↑flatidiom

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • fall flat — ► to be unsuccessful: »The deal fell flat when the two sides could not agree on the terms of the contract. Main Entry: ↑flat …   Financial and business terms

  • fall flat — (on (your) face) to fail completely. Most of her jokes fell flat and her act was a disaster. It used to be an amazing magazine, but it s fallen flat on its face …   New idioms dictionary

  • fall flat — ► fall flat fail to produce the intended effect. Main Entry: ↑flat …   English terms dictionary

  • fall flat on one's face — To come to grief or fail dismally • • • Main Entry: ↑fall * * * fall over forward ■ figurative fail in an embarrassingly obvious way the president could fall flat on his face if the economy doesn t start improving soon …   Useful english dictionary

  • fall flat on your face — fall flat on (your)/its face to fail or make a mistake in an embarrassing way. The new scheme fell flat on its face in spite of all the financial support that was given. It s always amusing to see a newscaster fall flat on his face …   New idioms dictionary

  • fall flat on its face — fall flat on (your)/its face to fail or make a mistake in an embarrassing way. The new scheme fell flat on its face in spite of all the financial support that was given. It s always amusing to see a newscaster fall flat on his face …   New idioms dictionary

  • fall flat on face — fall flat on (your)/its face to fail or make a mistake in an embarrassing way. The new scheme fell flat on its face in spite of all the financial support that was given. It s always amusing to see a newscaster fall flat on his face …   New idioms dictionary

  • fall flat on your face — fall flat (on (your) face) to fail completely. Most of her jokes fell flat and her act was a disaster. It used to be an amazing magazine, but it s fallen flat on its face …   New idioms dictionary

  • fall flat on face — fall flat (on (your) face) to fail completely. Most of her jokes fell flat and her act was a disaster. It used to be an amazing magazine, but it s fallen flat on its face …   New idioms dictionary

  • fall flat on your face — 1) to fall forwards so that you are lying on your front 2) to fail completely, especially in an embarrassing way This scheme will fall flat on its face unless the residents get behind it …   English dictionary

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