Etymological Distraction: The Mystery of Fiasco
Catastrophe! Train wreck! Fiasco!
While the above could all describe 2020, only one is the subject of our linguistic exploration today. “Fiasco” — the Italian word for “bottle” — has long-puzzled etymologists. We know that “fiasco,” along with the English term “flask,” comes from the Latin “flasco,” but how did this innocent object come to be synonymous with “failure” (or, to use an earthier phrase, “screw-up”)?
Legend has it the answer lies with 17th-century Venetian glassblowers, who would repurpose flawed pieces of glasswork as run-of-the-mill bottles. As such, a failure in craftsmanship was deemed a “fiasco.” Unfortunately, we’ve found no evidence to legitimize this theory — and frankly it sounds like something an armchair historical linguist might’ve cooked up — but stranger things have happened in etymology.
Centuries later, during the Victorian Era, the phrase “faire fiasco” emerged as French theater slang, meaning “to fail in a performance.” Snarky thespians would shame one another by claiming rivals had “made a fiasco” on stage. Burn!
English elites, ever desperate to pilfer language from the French, soon adopted the phrase. Since then, “fiasco” has morphed into the all-encompassing declaration of disaster we know and love today. (Incidentally, “disaster” has astrological origins — but we’ll discuss that another time.)
Our conclusion? We, um, don’t have one. The real story of “fiasco” is sadly obscured in the underbelly of 19th-century performing arts. What a farce.
