fall flat
fall flat — 慣用語
1. if a joke, a comic performance, or an attempt to be funny falls flat, it fails c
冷場；沒人笑
笑話或表演未能引人發笑
if a joke, a comic performance, or an attempt to be funny falls flat, it fails completely because nobody laughs or shows any sign of enjoyment.
Tomás told a story about his pet snake, but the joke fell flat and everyone just stared at him.
Tomás 講了一個關於他的寵物蛇的故事，但笑話完全冷場，所有人只是盯著他看。
joke + fell flat — silence instead of laughter
The comedian's opening routine fell flat, so she quickly switched to a different style of humour.
那位喜劇演員的開場段子冷場了，於是她迅速換了一種幽默風格。
routine / fell flat — performer adapts to audience silence
Naoko tried to lighten the mood with a pun, but it fell flat and the meeting stayed tense.
Naoko 想用一個雙關語來緩和氣氛，但沒人笑，會議氣氛依然緊繃。
Mira's impression of the boss fell completely flat with the team — nobody found it funny or accurate.
Mira 模仿老闆的樣子在團隊面前完全沒人笑——大家既不覺得好笑，也不覺得像。
The wedding speech started well, but a weak joke in the middle made the whole section fall flat.
婚禮致詞開頭還不錯，但中間一個不好笑的笑話讓整個段落冷場了。
- land well
positive counterpart — a joke that gets laughs
- go down well
broader positive reception from an audience
文法句型
fall flat (no object)
用法筆記
Nearly always used of planned humour or performance — not for naturally occurring funny situations. Frequently appears with adverbs like 'completely', 'totally', or 'somewhat' before 'flat'.
常見錯誤
2. if a plan, suggestion, or effort falls flat, it produces no useful result and fa
失敗；沒成效
計畫或努力未達預期效果
if a plan, suggestion, or effort falls flat, it produces no useful result and fails to achieve what was intended, often because people reject it or ignore it.
Quan's proposal to redesign the office kitchen fell flat when staff said they preferred new computers.
Quan 提出的重新設計辦公室廚房的提案失敗了，因為員工說他們比較想要新電腦。
proposal + fell flat — rejected by the intended audience
The charity's campaign to raise funds fell flat after the main donor pulled out at the last minute.
該慈善機構的募款活動在主要贊助者臨時退出後便宣告失敗。
Every suggestion Chidi made at the board meeting fell flat because the directors were focused on cutting costs.
Chidi 在董事會上提出的每一項建議都沒有被採納，因為董事們專注於降低成本。
Gabriela tried to organise a team-building day, but the idea fell flat and only three people signed up.
Gabriela 想舉辦一個團隊建立日，但這個點子沒人響應，最後只有三個人報名。
Efforts to renegotiate the trade deal fell flat when neither side was willing to change its position.
重新談判貿易協議的努力沒有結果，因為雙方都不願意改變立場。
- fail
more general; less idiomatic and less vivid
- come to nothing
similar meaning but emphasises lack of result rather than lack of reaction
- backfire
stronger — the effort not only fails but produces a negative result
文法句型
fall flat (no object)
用法筆記
This sense is common in business and political contexts. Unlike sense 1, it does NOT imply an audience's emotional reaction — the failure may be purely practical (no result, no uptake). Distinguish from sense 1 (JOKE OR PERFORMANCE), where the failure is emotional or social (no laughter, no enjoyment).