Fiasco


[fee-as-koh or especially for 2, -ah-skoh] /fiˈæs koʊ or especially for 2, -ˈɑ skoʊ/

noun, plural fiascos, fiascoes.
1.
a complete and ignominious failure.
2.
a round-bottomed glass flask for wine, especially Chianti, fitted with a woven, protective raffia basket that also enables the bottle to stand upright.
/fɪˈæskəʊ/
noun (pl) -cos, -coes
1.
a complete failure, esp one that is ignominious or humiliating
n.

1855, theater slang for “a failure,” by 1862 acquired the general sense of any dismal flop, on or off the stage. Via French phrase fiare fiasco “turn out a failure” (19c.), from Italian far fiasco “suffer a complete breakdown in performance,” literally “make a bottle,” from fiasco “bottle,” from Late Latin flasco, flasconem (see flask).

The reason for all this is utterly obscure today, but “the usual range of fanciful theories has been advanced” [Ayto]. Weekley finds it utterly mysterious and compares French ramasser un pelle “to come a cropper (in bicycling), literally to pick up a shovel.” OED makes nebulous reference to “alleged incidents in Italian theatrical history.” Klein suggests Venetian glass-crafters tossing aside imperfect pieces to be made later into common flasks. But according to an Italian dictionary, fare il fiasco used to mean “to play a game so that the one that loses will pay the fiasco,” in other words, he will buy the next bottle (of wine). That plausibly connects the word with the notion of “a costly mistake.”

Read Also:

  • Fiat

    [fee-aht, -at; fahy-uh t, -at] /ˈfi ɑt, -æt; ˈfaɪ ət, -æt/ noun 1. an authoritative decree, sanction, or order: a royal fiat. Synonyms: authorization, directive, ruling, mandate, diktat, ukase. 2. a fixed form of words containing the word fiat, by which a person in authority gives sanction, or authorization. 3. an arbitrary decree or pronouncement, […]

  • Fiat-lux

    [fee-aht loo ks; English fee-aht luhks, fahy-uh t] /ˈfi ɑt ˈlʊks; English ˈfi ɑt ˈlʌks, ˈfaɪ ət/ Latin. 1. let there be light.

  • Fib

    [fib] /fɪb/ noun 1. a small or trivial lie; minor falsehood. verb (used without object), fibbed, fibbing. 2. to tell a fib. /fɪb/ noun 1. a trivial and harmless lie verb fibs, fibbing, fibbed 2. (intransitive) to tell such a lie n. 1610s, of uncertain origin, perhaps from fibble-fable “nonsense” (1580s), a reduplication of fable. […]

  • Fiat-money

    noun 1. paper currency made legal tender by a fiat of the government, but not based on or convertible into coin. noun 1. (mainly US) money declared by a government to be legal tender though it is not convertible into standard specie

  • Fibber

    [fib] /fɪb/ noun 1. a small or trivial lie; minor falsehood. verb (used without object), fibbed, fibbing. 2. to tell a fib. /fɪb/ noun 1. a trivial and harmless lie verb fibs, fibbing, fibbed 2. (intransitive) to tell such a lie n. 1723, agent noun from fib (v.). n. 1610s, of uncertain origin, perhaps from […]


Disclaimer: Fiasco definition / meaning should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. All content on this website is for informational purposes only.