A debacle is a complete failure — not a small mistake, but a mess that falls apart in public. A plan, a meeting, a campaign, a product launch can all be a debacle. The word has a French feel and a newspaper feel: people reach for it when they want to say this did not just go wrong; it collapsed.

A debacle debacle is指的是 a complete failure一場徹底的失敗 not a small mistake不是小差錯, but而是 a mess一團亂 that falls apart in public在眾人面前垮掉的。A plan一個計畫, a meeting一場會議, a campaign一場活動, a product launch一次產品發表 can all be都可能是 a debacle debacle。The word這個字 has a French feel and a newspaper feel帶點法文味和新聞味: people人們 reach for it會用這個字 when they want to say想表達的是 this did not just go wrong這不只是出了點差錯; it collapsed而是整個垮掉了。

Though actually, in French a débâcle was first the sudden breaking-up of ice on a river in spring — a dam of ice giving way. That picture is still inside the English word: something that seemed solid, then broke all at once.

Though actually不過其實, in French在法文裡 a débâcle débâcle最初 was first the sudden breaking-up of ice on a river in spring指的是春天河面冰層突然裂開崩解, a dam of ice giving way一道冰壩崩塌。That picture那個畫面 is still inside the English word仍然留在這個英文字裡: something that seemed solid原本看似堅固的東西, then broke all at once卻突然全部碎裂。

It is fairly formal. In casual talk you might say disaster, fiasco, or “it was a total mess.”

It它 is fairly formal算是相當正式的字。In casual talk在日常聊天裡 you你 might say可能會說 disaster disaster, fiasco fiasco, or或 “it was a total mess”「整個一團亂」。