a damp squib
Meaning: Something expected to be impressive that turns out a disappointment.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “The long-awaited announcement was a damp squib.”
Category: Daily Life
Origin: A squib is a small firework; if it is damp, it fizzles instead of exploding. The British phrase is found from the 19th century.
Equivalents in other languages
- French: Un pétard mouillé — literally: A damp firecracker
More idioms — Daily Life
- no contest — Said when one side is clearly better and there is no real competition.
- don't shoot the messenger — Don't blame the person who brings bad news.
- as old as Methuselah — Extremely old.
- ugly as sin — Very ugly.
- the sandman is coming — It's time to sleep; someone is getting sleepy.
- cash on the nail — Payment made immediately.
More English idioms
- slow and steady wins the race — Patience and persistence succeed better than haste.
- go by shanks' mare — To walk; to travel on foot.
- like a duck to water — Naturally and easily, as if born to it.
- kill the goose that lays the golden eggs — To destroy a source of profit out of greed.
- with one's tail between one's legs — Humiliated and defeated.
- have a foot in both camps — To be involved with two opposing sides at once.