fiasco
fee-ASS-koh
/fiˈæskoʊ/
A complete and humiliating failure, especially one that is highly publicized or ludicrous.
A fiasco is a failure of dramatic proportions, often involving a public spectacle where everything that could go wrong does go wrong.
The story behind the word. The word comes from the Italian 'fiasco', meaning 'bottle.' The phrase 'far fiasco' ('to make a bottle') was Italian theatrical slang for a performance that failed completely. The exact origin of the slang is obscure, but it may refer to an actor having to carry a bottle on stage as a penalty for a bad performance, or the idea of a glassblower failing to make a fine vessel and turning it into a common bottle instead.
Word relationships
- debacle: Fiasco and debacle are highly interchangeable, but fiasco often emphasizes the ridiculous, theatrical, or embarrassing nature of the failure.
- disaster: Disaster is a broader term that can include natural events, whereas a fiasco is always caused by human incompetence.
- success: Success is the achievement of something desired, planned, or attempted.
- masterpiece: A masterpiece is a work of outstanding artistry or skill, representing the height of success.
Commonly confused with
- fresco: A fresco is a painting done rapidly in wet plaster on a wall, while a fiasco is a complete disaster.
Collocations
- complete fiasco
- total fiasco
- turn into a fiasco
Example sentences
- "The highly publicized music festival turned into a complete fiasco when the organizers ran out of water on the first day." A review of a disastrous music festival.
Memory hook
'Fiasco' sounds like 'Fly-asco'. Imagine a fly landing in your fresco painting, turning it into a complete disaster. Fiasco = Italian bottle theater flop.
When not to use
Do not use fiasco for a quiet, private mistake; it requires an element of public embarrassment or dramatic failure.
Fun facts
- In Italy, a 'fiasco' is still just a standard flask of wine, typically wrapped in a straw basket.
Explore more words
go down in flames, ignominious, ignominy, fracas, opprobrium, mortified
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