Dictionary

die on one's arse en · VERB

Meanings

1. (Ireland, UK, idiomatic, slang, vulgar) To fail completely.
   • [...] the record failed miserably to chart. "That album died on its arse, to be honest," admits Shane. 2014, Ian Glasper, Burning Britain: The History of UK Punk 1980–1984, PM Press, page 18:
   • He explains: "Labour still has its historic competitive advantage – people. Tory party membership is dying on its arse and no one is joining the Liberal Democrats." 2013, Andrew Grice, “Michael Dugher on Labour's 2015 election strategy: This will be the most personal election ever”, in The Independent:
2. (Ireland, UK, idiomatic, of a comedian, slang, vulgar) To be very poorly received by an audience.
   • The worst thing you can say to a comedian right after they come off stage is: "Did you enjoy that?" If somebody says that, I know I’ve died on my arse. 2018, Romesh Ranganathan, “Romesh Ranganathan: 'If someone says "did you enjoy that?" I know I've died on my arse'”, in The Guardian:
   • KEY: I've been known to get up on that stage and deliver a bad, um... HORNE: Poem. I've seen you deliver some bad poems... KEY: Yeah, I've seen you die on your ass. 2021, 00:60 from the start, in No More Jockeys, season 4, episode 4, spoken by Tim Key:
   • [...] this was very far from being my best bits. It was me, in various venues, dying on my arse, over and over again. 2008, Frank Skinner, Frank Skinner on the Road: Love, Stand-up Comedy and The Queen Of The Night, Arrow Books, published 2009, page 55:

Forms

Synonyms

flop · die a death · bomb · die