sad trombone
English
Etymology
From a plaintive trombone (or sometimes trumpet) sting played during game shows to indicate a player losing.
Interjection
sad trombone
- (US, Canada, humorous) Used to indicate failure or disappointment.
- 2014, Tim McMahan, "All About Survival and Spotify", The Reader, 25 December - 31 December 2014, page 11:
- Last week the Wall Street Journal reported LP sales surged 49 percent last year and that factories are struggling to keep pace, but in the end, vinyl sales represent only 2 percent of U.S. music sales (*sad trombone*).
- 2019, "Chutes and Ladders: Legislative Bill Edition", City Weekly, 31 January 2019, page 10:
- Any time a player's token lands on the top of a chute, the token must "slide" down to the final square where that chute is pictured (sad trombone).
- 2019, Jeff Shore, Follow Up and Close the Sale: Make Easy (and Effective) Follow-Up Your Winning Habit, page 5:
- And then you never hear from that person again. (Wah-wah...sad trombone.)
- For more quotations using this term, see Citations:sad trombone.
- 2014, Tim McMahan, "All About Survival and Spotify", The Reader, 25 December - 31 December 2014, page 11:
Synonyms
- womp womp