damp squib
an anticlimax
TRANSLATION
damp squib = Reinfall, Schlag ins Wasser --- GOOGLE INDEX damp squib: approximately 336,000 Google hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
A DAMP SQUIB. For weeks now, pundits and politicians have been talking excitedly about the coming Shanghai Free Trade Zone (SFTZ). Li Keqiang, China’s prime minister, has personally championed this initiative,… the signs thus far are unpromising.
The Economist
The Economist
Did you
know?
damp squib
noun phrase
A situation or event that is much less impressive than expected
(Oxford Dictionary)
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Anything that is a huge disappointment, such as much-anticipated sporting event that somehow fails to provide any excitement is called a damp squib. The term was first recorded in the 16th century.
The true definition of a squib is a firework that fails to explode. And this is most likely to happen - or not happen - when the fireworks are damp, in other words, slightly wet. Of course, we feel disappointment when the promised burst of colour doesn't appear.
However, this expression is commonly spoken and written as "damp squid". A squid is a jelly-like, soft-bodied marine animal with tentacles, and as such, is always wet. So the word squid makes sense intuitively. It is also easy to see how this ugly, colourless sea creature could be compared to a non-exciting event.
But don't feel bad if you thought we were referring to a wet, ink-spraying sea animal. "Damp squib" is among the top ten phrases that the British commonly get wrong, according to The Telegraph newspaper. By the way, the phrase is almost exclusively used in UK English.
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SYNONYMS
anti-climax, disappointment, let down, dud, flop, pratfall
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SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"After all the pre-launch excitement, I'm afraid the new product has turned out to be a damp squib."
noun phrase
A situation or event that is much less impressive than expected
(Oxford Dictionary)
---
Anything that is a huge disappointment, such as much-anticipated sporting event that somehow fails to provide any excitement is called a damp squib. The term was first recorded in the 16th century.
The true definition of a squib is a firework that fails to explode. And this is most likely to happen - or not happen - when the fireworks are damp, in other words, slightly wet. Of course, we feel disappointment when the promised burst of colour doesn't appear.
However, this expression is commonly spoken and written as "damp squid". A squid is a jelly-like, soft-bodied marine animal with tentacles, and as such, is always wet. So the word squid makes sense intuitively. It is also easy to see how this ugly, colourless sea creature could be compared to a non-exciting event.
But don't feel bad if you thought we were referring to a wet, ink-spraying sea animal. "Damp squib" is among the top ten phrases that the British commonly get wrong, according to The Telegraph newspaper. By the way, the phrase is almost exclusively used in UK English.
---
SYNONYMS
anti-climax, disappointment, let down, dud, flop, pratfall
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"After all the pre-launch excitement, I'm afraid the new product has turned out to be a damp squib."
