fizzle
noun
- failed detonation of a nuclear device
verb
- to fail or end weakly
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈfɪzəl/
noun
Etymology: Attested in English since 1525-35. From earlier fysel (“to fart”). Related to fīsa (“to fart”). Compare with Swedish fisa (“to fart (silently)”). See also feist. It could also come from old Norse: "fise" simply means "blow," like in "blow in the wind." A weather-exposed community in Rogaland, Norway, is called Fister. (In modern language, the verb "fisle" has the same 3 meanings as in English, see below.)
- A spluttering or hissing sound.
- Failure of an exploding nuclear bomb to meet its expected yield during testing.
- An abortive effort; a flop or dud.
- A state of agitation or worry.
verb
Etymology: Attested in English since 1525-35. From earlier fysel (“to fart”). Related to fīsa (“to fart”). Compare with Swedish fisa (“to fart (silently)”). See also feist. It could also come from old Norse: "fise" simply means "blow," like in "blow in the wind." A weather-exposed community in Rogaland, Norway, is called Fister. (In modern language, the verb "fisle" has the same 3 meanings as in English, see below.)
- To sputter or hiss.
“The soda fizzled for several minutes after it was poured.”
“It is the easest thing, sir, to be done, / As plain as fizzling.”
- To decay or die off to nothing; to burn out; to end less successfully than previously hoped.
“The entire project fizzled after the founder quit.”
“I had a suspicion that Stephanie's native ingenuity rather fizzled there. You know, Stephanie dear, there is a difference, it seems, between Bombay and Californian pearls.”
- To fail to generate the expected yield when exploded during testing.
“The shot fizzled, generating only 200 tons rather than the 30 kilotons they were aiming for.”