fall flat

English

Verb

fall flat (third-person singular simple present falls flat, present participle falling flat, simple past fell flat, past participle fallen flat)

To produce no effect; to fail in the intended effect.
The politician's speech fell flat.
- 2012 May 13, Alistair Magowan, “Sunderland 0-1 Man Utd”, in BBC Sport‎:
  United were made to pay for letting an eight-point lead as little as five weeks ago slip and, despite their final-day efforts, they will look back on a season where, when they needed to step up, they fell flat.

Derived terms

fall flat on one's face

Translations

to produce no effect; to fail in the intended effect

Finnish: lässähtää (fi)
French: tomber à plat (fr)
Hungarian: dugába dől, kudarcba fullad (hu), meghiúsul (hu), csődöt mond, kudarcot vall (hu)

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