fizzle

English

WOTD – 10 August 2009

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.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˈfɪzəl/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪzəl

Verb

1. To sputter or hiss.

   The soda fizzled for several minutes after it was poured.

   • Ben Jonson

     It is the easest thing, sir, to be done, / As plain as fizzling.

2. (figuratively) 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.

Derived terms

• fizzler

Translations

to splutter or hiss

• Armenian: թեթև ֆշշալ (tʻetʻew fššal), թշշալ (hy) (tʻššal)
• Bulgarian: шипя (šipja)
• Danish: bruse
• Finnish: pihistä
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: zischen (de)
• Russian: шипе́ть (ru) (šipétʹ)
• Swedish: fräsa (sv), pysa (sv)

to decay or die off to nothing

• Bulgarian: провалям се (provaljam se)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 失败 (zh) (shībài), （计划）流产

• Danish: ebbe ud
• Finnish: kuivua kokoon (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: im Sande verlaufen (de), totlaufen, zu nichts führen, fehlschlagen (de), missglücken (de)
• Polish: spalić na panewce (pl)
• Russian: потерпеть фиа́ско (poterpetʹ fiásko), выдохнуться (ru) pf (vydoxnutʹsja)
• Spanish: fundir (es), apagar (es), menguar (es)
• Swedish: ebba ut (sv), gå i stöpet (sv)

Noun

fizzle (plural fizzles)

1. A spluttering or hissing sound.
2. Failure of a nuclear bomb to meet its expected yield during testing.
3. An abortive effort; a flop or dud.
4. A state of agitation or worry.

Translations

spluttering or hissing sound

• Armenian: թեթև ֆշշոց (tʻetʻew fššocʻ)
• Bulgarian: шипене (šipene)
• Danish: brusen c
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Finnish: pihinä
• Russian: шипение (ru) n (šipenije)
• Swedish: fräsande (sv), pysande (sv)

Related terms

• fizz
• fizzy