About[]
FAIL is turn-of-the-century internet slang that came to popularity through image macros and short videos depicting situations with unfortunate outcomes. Traditionally, the verb “fail” has been a used to signify the opposite of “succeed,” to fall short of achieving a goal. Today, the word is also commonly used as an interjection to point out a person’s mistake or shortcoming, often regardless of its magnitude.
Origin[]
The earliest documented usage of the term “FAIL” can be traced to the Neo Geo scrolling shooter game Blazing Star (1998), often mocked for its grammatically incorrect “game over” message that reads:
- “YOU FAIL IT!
- YOUR SKILL IS NOT ENOUGH-
- SEE YOU NEXT TIME- BYE BYE.”
As seen with the All your base are belong to us meme, the combination of a retro video game narrative and Engrish translation proves itself to be a powerful source of lulz.