epic fail

English

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Noun

epic fail (plural epic fails)

1. (Internet slang, originally 4chan) Utter, total failure, especially where success should have been reasonably expected.
   • 2012, Zadie Smith, NW, London: Penguin Books, published 2013, →ISBN, page 131:

     Maybe next the cloud overhead would open up and a huge cartoon hand emerge from below, pointing at him, accompanied by a thunderous, authorial voice: TOM MERCER. EPIC FAIL.

   • 2013, Wendy M. Anderson, Geraldine Woods, Lesley J. Ward, English Grammar Essentials For Dummies, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 30:

     The second sentence is saying ‘Gina greedily anticipates even more than the monthly doubling of her bank balance’ — more than is modifying expects. Not the same meaning at all. Sorry computer, epic fail!

   • 2014, Lauren Morrill, Being Sloane Jacobs, Delacorte Press, →ISBN, page 95:

     “What, you thought you could flee to Canada and hide from your epic fail? […]

   • 2014, Leah Raeder, Unteachable, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 29:

     So yeah, epic fail on my part when I didn't recognize one of Kubrick's most iconic works, 2001: A Space Odyssey.

   • 2014, Sheila Agnew, Central Park Showdown, The O'Brien Press, →ISBN:

     I was happy with my new, more sophisticated haircut but the rest of my efforts were pretty much epic fail.

   • 2016, Kristen Reidel, “Bodies Of Water”, in 12 Monkeys, season 2, episode 5 (television production), spoken by Jennifer Goines (Emily Hampshire):

     I'm tied to a chair. Epic fail.

Translations

total failure

• Finnish: täydellinen moka
• French: échec épique m
• Italian: fiasco epico m
• Russian: по́лный прова́л (pólnyj provál), сокруши́тельный прова́л (sokrušítelʹnyj provál), фиа́ско (ru) (fiásko), были́нный отка́з (bylínnyj otkáz) (computer slang, machine translation of "epic fail")
• Spanish: fracaso épico m