Failing a test, class, or course badly; not achieving the minimum passing grade.
From 'flunk,' which appeared in American English around the 1820s, possibly from German 'flank' or from an onomatopoeia suggesting failure. Some scholars suggest it might relate to 'funk' (a state of depression or failure).
The word 'flunk' is surprisingly modern—it only appeared in American slang in the early 1800s, probably among college students who needed a quick, blunt word for total failure. It's an onomatopoetic word that sounds like what failure feels like!
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