Meaning
To fail completely to produce the intended or expected effect, especially of a joke, speech, stunt or performance that is met with silence instead of laughter or applause. It names an immediate, visible flop, not a slow decline, and it is now used well beyond entertainment. Informal and neutral; the failure it describes is embarrassing, but the phrase itself carries no malice. Regional use: General English (strong theatrical association).
Origin
'Fall flat' in the literal sense of collapsing prostrate is centuries old in English; the figurative sense, 'to prove uninteresting or ineffective', arose in the 1800s alongside parallel constructions such as 'fall silent' and 'fall vacant' (Grammarphobia, summarizing Oxford dictionary evidence, with early citations of the failure sense reported from the 1840s). The image is of something dropping limply to the ground instead of rising to its intended height. Although the phrase became standard currency in 19th-century theatrical and music-hall criticism for gags that earned no laugh, there is no evidence it was coined as theatre jargon: it is a general figurative use that show-business reviewing made especially familiar. One online compilation loosely claims 17th-century currency for the idiom, but the dated dictionary evidence supports the 19th century for the figurative sense.
Research Sources
References used to check this entry’s meaning, history, or documented forms.
Variants
- fall completely flat
- fall flat on its face
- falling flat
- fell flat
Usage Examples
- The opening joke fell flat, and the rest of the presentation never quite recovered.
- Her grand romantic gesture fell flat when he admitted he hates surprises.
- Without the budget to back it up, the announcement fell flat with investors.