damp squib
noun British Informal.
something meant but failing to impress or succeed.
QUIZZES
Discover The Influence Of Portuguese On English Via This Quiz!
We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Do you know what they mean?
Question 1 of 11
Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?
Words nearby damp squib
damon, damon and pythias, damp, damp box, damp off, damp squib, damp-dry, damp-mop, damp-proof, dampcourse, dampen
Origin of damp squib
First recorded in 1965–70
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for damp squib
It must be owned that they were decidedly daring, yet in the nature of damp-squib affairs, as it turned out.