# Phrase Epic Failure Acceptable In Mainstream Journalism? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 9, 2009, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrase-epic-failure-acceptable-in-mainstream-journalism/520637 "2009-12-09T21:20:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2009, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrase-epic-failure-acceptable-in-mainstream-journalism/520637/1 "2009-12-09T21:20:07Z")
I was reading the following newspaper article about a failed ATM theft attempt. The journalist uses the following sentence: _An early-morning bank heist at Regions Bank in Athens was an epic failure for the burglars who attempted to use a stolen forklift to rip their way into an ATM machine._ Is that actually proper form? I suppose this might be IMHO, but wouldn’t an epic failure be one where you get arrested for your attempted thievery? ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2009, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrase-epic-failure-acceptable-in-mainstream-journalism/520637/2 "2009-12-09T21:25:45Z")
Well, (in reverse order of your questions) what exactly constitutes epic failure is an opinion. So your humble opinion is certainly defensible, but can’t say the journalist is factually wrong to use it. As far as ‘proper form’ goes, something like that is up to the paper and its editors. I don’t think the use here is too informal, considering the article seems to be at least a little bit lighthearted. If the reporter had used “Epic Fail” instead of epic failure, and I was editing, I would probably remove it as being too internet-slang-inside-jokey. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2009, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrase-epic-failure-acceptable-in-mainstream-journalism/520637/3 "2009-12-09T21:28:38Z")
> [@Mr.Slant](#): > > I suppose this might be IMHO, but wouldn’t an epic failure be one where you get arrested for your attempted thievery? [moderating] I agree. Looks like IMHO to me, since you’re looking for opinions. I’m moving it there from GQ. [/moderating] ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2009, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrase-epic-failure-acceptable-in-mainstream-journalism/520637/4 "2009-12-09T21:42:06Z")
That is awesome. An epic win, I would say. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2009, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrase-epic-failure-acceptable-in-mainstream-journalism/520637/5 "2009-12-09T21:53:41Z")
> [@Mr.Slant](#): > > Is that actually proper form? I believe the correct form is “epic fail”. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2009, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrase-epic-failure-acceptable-in-mainstream-journalism/520637/6 "2009-12-09T21:56:42Z")
Technically, I think an epic failure would require a long narrative poem beginning _in medias res_ with an invocation of the poet’s muse. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2009, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrase-epic-failure-acceptable-in-mainstream-journalism/520637/7 "2009-12-09T21:58:11Z")
An epic failure indeed. Why, it was as if an [occult hand](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_Occult_Hand) had reached down and thwarted their plans. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2009, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrase-epic-failure-acceptable-in-mainstream-journalism/520637/8 "2009-12-09T22:08:11Z")
Under normal circumstances I’d say no, but in a story about the attempted use of a forklift to tear open an ATM machine, I think it’s acceptable.