發出去了，卻沒中
把畫面從機械移到人做的事情上。準備、瞄準、送出去，動作都完成了，只是沒有產生原本要的效果——所以它說的不是「沒做」，而是「做了卻沒用」。
verb · B2
If a plan, a joke, an advert or any other attempt misfires, it does not work in the way you wanted, and it often leaves things worse than before.
失敗；沒收到預期效果
核心畫面
Picture the moment something is supposed to go off. The trigger is pulled, the spark jumps, the signal is sent — and nothing happens, or it happens a beat too late. Everything was in place. The aim may even have been good. The one thing that failed is the going-off itself. Every use of misfire keeps that empty moment: a gun that stays silent, an engine that stumbles, a nerve that sends a signal into nowhere, a joke that leaves a quiet room.
可以想成某樣東西「該發出去」的那一瞬間。扳機扣了、火星跳了、訊號送出去了——結果什麼都沒發生，或是慢了半拍。該準備的…更多收起
可以想成某樣東西「該發出去」的那一瞬間。扳機扣了、火星跳了、訊號送出去了——結果什麼都沒發生，或是慢了半拍。該準備的都準備好了，方向可能也沒錯，壞掉的就是「發出去」那一下。這個字每一種用法裡都留著那個空掉的瞬間：沒響的槍、抖一下的引擎、亂放的神經，還有話講完之後安靜下來的房間。From the word’s history
Wiktionary says misfire is either the older two-word phrase 'miss fire' run together, or mis- ('wrongly, not') plus fire. Both routes point at the same picture: the firing that did not happen.
依 Wiktionary，misfire 可能是早期的兩個字 miss fire 併成一個，也可能是 mis-（沒中、沒做對）加上 fire。兩條路指向同一個畫面：該發射的那一下沒發出去。
Wiktionary, entry 'misfire' (packet etymology_text; source_ref kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:1381132113:2947)
From the picture
Also in this word
verb · B2
If a gun misfires, it fails to send out the bullet when the trigger is pulled, usually because the powder does not catch or the firing pin does not strike properly.
（槍）沒擊發
verb · B2
If an engine misfires, the fuel in one of its cylinders does not burn at the right moment, so the engine shakes, loses power, or sounds rough.
（引擎）點火失準
verb · C1
If a nerve or a brain cell misfires, it sends out a signal when there is no proper reason for it, or sends it at the wrong moment.
（神經）誤放電訊號