der Durchfall
diarrhea
An illness in which you have very frequent and watery bowel movements.
EXAMPLE
Nach dem Essen im fremden Land bekam er leider Durchfall.
After eating in the foreign country, he unfortunately got diarrhea.
der Durchfall
diarrhea / flop
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Meanings
der Durchfall
flop / failure
Colloquial for a complete failure or flop.
EXAMPLE
Die Premiere des Theaterstücks war ein totaler Durchfall.
The premiere of the play was a total flop.
Usage tips
Word composition
The word is made up of 'durch' (through) and 'Fall' (fall). The literal idea of 'Durchfallen' (falling through/failing) fits both meanings: the illness and failing an exam or project.
EXAMPLE
Sein erster Versuch, die Prüfung zu bestehen, war ein kompletter Durchfall.
His first attempt to pass the exam was a complete failure.
Typical usage
In a medical context, the fixed phrase 'Durchfall haben' (to have diarrhea) is almost always used. An alternative, but more formal, is 'an Durchfall leiden' (to suffer from diarrhea).
EXAMPLE
Ich kann heute nicht zur Arbeit kommen, ich habe schlimmen Durchfall.
I can't come to work today; I have severe diarrhea.
Register and style
The meaning 'Misserfolg' (failure) is colloquial. In formal or written contexts, you would use other words to describe a failure.
EXAMPLE
Die neue Marketingkampagne war leider ein totaler Durchfall.
Unfortunately, the new marketing campaign was a total flop.
Compare with
Durchfall vs Ausfall
failure / outage
Ein Ausfall means that something is unavailable or not working; it does not judge how successful it was. Ein Durchfall is a colloquial term for a complete failure. For a broadcast, Ausfall is therefore appropriate for a technical problem, while Durchfall describes a very poor reaction from the audience.
Durchfall
Die Livesendung war beim Publikum ein kompletter Durchfall.
The live broadcast was a complete flop with the audience.
Ausfall
Die Livesendung wurde wegen eines technischen Ausfalls unterbrochen.
The live broadcast was interrupted because of a technical failure.
In real life
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