total bomb
- noun
- Informal
- After months of promotion, the fashion show ended up being a total bomb, attracting very few attendees.
Examples
-
It's a total bomb.
-
The expensive restaurant was a total bomb, failing to impress anyone with its bland food.
-
Despite the hype, the new video game turned out to be a total bomb, with critics calling it unplayable.
Synonyms
139
5.6
A complete failure, for example a show or plan that no one likes
102
4.5
A complete failure of an event or plan
76
6.2
A complete embarrassing failure that happens suddenly and causes big problems
75
8.5
A sudden complete failure that causes public embarrassment or big loss
44
4.3
A project or event that does not succeed
14
4.7
Something that fails to work or please people
3
6.0
A failure that comes after a promising start
1
3.7
A situation that is a total failure causing big problems
A project, event, or thing that fails very badly
A situation that is very messy and badly managed
Antonyms
How Successful
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally predictable in that 'total' simply intensifies 'bomb' to indicate a complete failure, so if a learner already knows the slang/metaphorical sense of 'bomb' = 'a flop/failure' the meaning is transparent. However, many B1 learners know only the literal sense 'explosive device', so understanding depends on prior exposure to the non-literal use, making the transparency partial rather than fully transparent.
Etymology
The phrase total bomb comes from the image of a real bomb that causes big destruction. When a show or product 'bombs' it is ruined by bad reviews, empty theaters, or low sales, so a total bomb means 'a complete failure'.