damp squib

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noun British Informal.

something meant but failing to impress or succeed.

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Nearby words

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. 2019

Examples 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.
The Illustrated War News, Number 21, Dec. 30, 1914|Various