fall (flat) on (one's)/its face

1. Literally, to fall and land on one's face. I slipped on the banana peel, fell flat on my face, and nearly broke my nose. Poor Heather fell on her face during recess today, but she only has a few scrapes on her forehead. Are you OK? I saw you slip on that ice and fall flat on your face.

2. To fail thoroughly or in a spectacular or embarrassing way. I'll never forget my first comedy routine. I got out there under the bright lights and fell flat on my face—not a single person laughed. Unfortunately the advertising campaign just kind of fell on its face and never gained any traction with consumers. I'm afraid that translation will fall flat on its face in this language, since we have no such idiom.

fall flat on your face

If someone falls flat on their face when they try to do something, they fail or make an embarrassing mistake. In trying to introduce prison reform, he fell flat on his face. I told myself I was going to try hard every day for a year, even if I fell flat on my face each day.

fall flat on your face

1 fall over forwards. 2 fail in an embarrassingly obvious way.

fall ˌflat on your ˈface

(informal) fail completely in an attempt to do something, especially in a noticeable way: I thought I would pass my driving test easily but I fell flat on my face.