Fail
An embarrassing mistake or flop; epic fail is the big version.
- Origin: slang noun; Green’s lists citations dated 2012
- On the Slang-o-matic wheel: Millennials (born 1981–1996). That is who the translator files it under, not a claim that this generation coined it.
What it means
As slang, a fail is a mistake or flop, usually an embarrassing or funny one. Cambridge Dictionary’s example is “My pancakes were an epic fail.” Dictionary.com lists fail as a slang noun for a humiliating mistake “given an exaggerated importance,” and as an exclamation: “Fail!”
Where it comes from
Green’s Dictionary of Slang defines the slang noun as “a failure, a disaster; often qualified as epic fail.” It lists two citations, both dated 2012: an entry in Connie Eble’s University of North Carolina collection titled Campus Slang 2011, and a news headline calling a restaurant chain’s Twitter campaign “an Epic Fail.”
Who says it now
The translator files fail under Millennials by its own convention; in 2012, when Green’s citations are dated, most Millennials were in their teens or twenties. In our observation it is still common, though “epic fail” now sounds a little like 2010s internet talk.
Tone
Jokey and a bit mocking. Calling your own burnt toast a fail is self-deprecating fun. Calling someone else’s effort a fail can hurt, especially if they cared about it.
What adults hear, what kids mean
To a parent, fail may sound like a failing grade, and hearing a kid say “that was a fail” can sound alarming. Usually the kid means a small, funny flop, like a dropped cake, not a real failure. If it is about a test, ask.
How to use it
Fail works as a noun (“that was a fail”), with adjectives (“total fail,” “epic fail”) and as a one-word verdict: “Fail.” Dictionary.com even lists an adjective use, “a totally fail policy.”
Two examples, written by us:
- I tried to cut my own bangs. Total fail.
- The robot vacuum got stuck under the couch again. Epic fail.
How to answer it
If someone calls their own mistake a fail, laugh with them or share one of yours. If they call your effort a fail, you can answer lightly (“Not my finest hour”) or, if it stung, say so.
Same idea, other generations
The Slang-o-matic wheel files Fail under Millennials for the idea of something bad or disappointing. These are the words it files under the same idea, by generation. They are related, not always exact translations:
Related slang
- OMG (Millennials): Short for “oh my God”; an exclamation of surprise or excitement.
- Lit (Millennials): Exciting, excellent. Also has an older meaning: drunk.
- Yikes (Gen Z): An exclamation of alarm, shock or embarrassment.
Try the slang translatorAll slang by generation
Sources
Meanings and dates on this page come from these dictionaries. Each quote is copied word for word from the linked page.
- Cambridge Dictionary
“My pancakes were an epic fail”
- Dictionary.com
“noun Slang. an embarrassing or humorous mistake, humiliating situation, etc., that is subject to ridicule and given an exaggerated importance.”
“a totally fail policy.”
“A tattoo that misspells your name? Fail!”
- Green's Dictionary of Slang
“a failure, a disaster; often qualified as epic fail”
“2012 C. Eble UNC-CH Campus Sl. 2011 4: FAIL”
“2012 International Business Times 24 Jan.”
“McDonald's #McDStories Twitter Campaign is an Epic Fail”