total loss
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total loss
Damage, usually to a vehicle, that is so extensive that a repair is no longer economically sensible because the costs exceed the value of the vehicle.
Nach dem Unfall war das Auto ein Totalschaden.
After the accident, the car was a total loss.
complete disaster
In a figurative sense, a complete failure, total collapse, or the complete destruction of a thing, plan, or relationship.
Die Party war ein Totalschaden, nachdem die Musikanlage ausgefallen war.
The party was a complete disaster after the sound system failed.
'Totalschaden' (total loss) is made up of the adjective 'total' (total) and the noun 'der Schaden' (the damage). So it literally describes complete, total damage.
Die Versicherung hat den Wagen als Totalschaden eingestuft.
The insurance company classified the car as a total loss.
The literal meaning almost always refers to vehicles or expensive machines. The figurative meaning is used for anything else that fails completely: projects, parties, relationships, or plans.
Mein altes Fahrrad hatte nach dem Sturz einen Totalschaden.
My old bicycle was a total loss after the fall.
The figurative meaning of 'Totalschaden' (complete disaster) for a complete failure is very common, but it belongs more to colloquial language.
Meine Frisur ist nach dem Regen ein totaler Totalschaden.
My hairstyle is a total disaster after the rain.
catastrophe
For a failed project, both Katastrophe and Totalschaden can sound emphatic. Katastrophe generally assesses the course of events or the result as a complete failure. Totalschaden presents the result figuratively as so completely destroyed that nothing can be salvaged.
Nach dem endgültigen Scheitern war das neue Projekt ein wirtschaftlicher Totalschaden.
After its final failure, the new project was a complete financial disaster.
Die Umsetzung des neuen Projekts war von Anfang bis Ende eine Katastrophe.
The implementation of the new project was a disaster from beginning to end.
