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general::
Phrase(s): fizzle out
1. Lit. [for a liquid] to lose its effervescence. • This seltzer has fizzled out. I need a fresh glass of it. 2. Fig. [for an item in a fireworks display] to fail to operate properly, often producing only a hiss. • That last rocket fizzled out. Set off another one. • A lot of the fireworks fizzled out because it was raining. 3. Fig. to fade or become ineffectual gradually. • The party began to fizzle out about midnight. • The last clerk I hired fizzled out after the first week.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
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Fail, end weakly, especially after a hopeful beginning. For example, The enthusiasm for reform has fizzled out in this state. The word fizzle dates from the early 1500s and meant "to break wind without making noise." Later it was applied to hissing noises, such as those made by wet fireworks, and then to any endeavor that ends in disappointment. [Colloquial; mid-1800s]
American Heritage Idioms