What it means
A flop is something that lands with absolutely no sauce. A film, party, launch, date, whole big plan, if it bombs and leaves everyone a bit second-hand embarrassed, it's a flop. As a verb, to flop also means to drop yourself down somewhere heavily, usually because you're shattered and your body has clocked out before your brain.
Usage examples
"That mate’s big house party was a flop, only five showed. I got home knackered, flopped on the sofa, and smashed a kebab."
"The big-budget sequel was a total flop at the box office."
"Our picnic flopped the second it started bucketing down."
"We hyped that restaurant for two weeks and it was a complete flop, tiny portions and dead vibes."
"I got in after the night out, kicked my shoes off, and flopped straight onto the bed fully dressed."
Where it comes from
It comes from flop, an old English verb for dropping, falling, or moving in a loose, heavy way. By the nineteenth century it was also being used for theatrical failures, so a show that flopped didn’t soar, it just hit the floor with a sad little thud.
