The French expression “faire long feu” translates literally to “to make a long fire”.
English meaning:
- to fizzle out
- to fail
- to not work as planned
French meaning:
- échouer – to fail
- ne pas produire l’effet attendu – to not produce the expected effect
Example sentence:
- Après trois ans de négociations entre la direction et le syndicat, tous les efforts on fait feu. After three years of negotiations between the management and the union, all efforts fizzled.
Synonymous expression:
- tomber à l’eau – Literally: to fall in to the water; to fizzle out
- s’éteindre en crépitant – Literally: to extinguish sputtering ; to fizzle out
