fizzle

Attested in English since 1525-35. From earlier fysel (“to fart”). Related to fīsa (“to fart”). Compare with Swedish fisa (“to fart (silently)”). See also feist.

It could also come from old Norse: "fise" simply means "blow," like in "blow in the wind." A weather-exposed community in Rogaland, Norway, is called Fister. (In modern language, the verb "fisle" has the same 3 meanings as in English, see below.)

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˈfɪzəl/

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• Rhymes: -ɪzəl

fizzle (third-person singular simple present fizzles, present participle fizzling, simple past and past participle fizzled)

1. To sputter or hiss.

   The soda fizzled for several minutes after it was poured.

   • 1616, Ben Jonson, The Devil Is an Ass:

     It is the easest thing, sir, to be done, / As plain as fizzling.

2. (figuratively, informal) To decay or die off to nothing; to burn out; to end less successfully than previously hoped.

   The entire project fizzled after the founder quit.

   • 2016 June 27, Daniel Taylor, “England humiliated as Iceland knock them out of Euro 2016”, in The Guardian‎, London:

     And so it fizzled to its close with Gary Cahill galloping around as an extra centre-forward, mutinous chants of “you’re not fit to wear the shirt,” from the England followers and Hodgson’s media staff announcing he would not take any questions.

3. (military, of a nuclear weapon) To fail to generate the expected yield when exploded during testing.

   The shot fizzled, generating only 200 tons rather than the 30 kilotons they were aiming for.

• fizzler
• fizzle out

fizzle (plural fizzles)

1. A spluttering or hissing sound.
2. (military) Failure of an exploding nuclear bomb to meet its expected yield during testing.
3. An abortive effort; a flop or dud.
4. A state of agitation or worry.

In the context of nuclear testing, a fizzle (an explosion with inadequate yield) is distinguished from a dud (a failure to explode at all).

• fizz
• fizzy