fall flat

基本解释

Many in Iran’s higher echelons are caught between loyalty to the regime and a desire to see Mr Ahmadinejad fall flat on his face.
而伊朗的高层呢，一方面要保持对于政权的忠诚，另一方面又希望看到内贾德彻底失败。
When a speaker's intention is to impress the audience rather than improve the condition of the audience, the speech tends to fall flat.
演讲者如果只想着给听众留下好印象，而不是通过演讲给听众带来的一些实质性的改善，那么只能流于平庸。
Sharp rises increase the chances that some banks fall flat over their interest rate risk.
利率大幅上升加大了某些银行因利率风险而倒闭的可能性。
finance.jrj.com.cn

Focusing on driving volumes approach would fall flat if it is keen to penetrate emerging economies like India and China.
FORBES: Coca-Cola Stock Fizzes Up To $75 On Deep Push Into Rural India
In Europe, we saw the Spanish bank bailout fall flat on its face and interest rates spike in Spain and Italy.
FORBES: Europe's Solution Isn't More Inflation
Chances are that the best of the best will continue to sell well at auction while the mediocre will fall flat.
FORBES: Hirst Hysteria

If a joke, idea, or suggestion falls flat, it does not have the intended effect.