washout

[wosh-out, wawsh-] /ˈwɒʃˌaʊt, ˈwɔʃ-/
noun
1.
a washing out of earth, gravel, etc., by water, as from an embankment or a roadway by heavy rain or by a flash flood.
2.
the hole, break, or erosion produced by such a washing out.
3.
Also, wash-out. Aeronautics. a warp in an airfoil that gives a decrease in the angle of attack toward the tip.
Compare washin.
4.
rainout.
5.
Informal. an utter failure.
6.
Informal. a person who has failed a course of training or study:
air force washouts.
Origin
1870-75; noun use of verb phrase wash out
British Dictionary definitions for washout

wash out

verb (adverb)
1.
(transitive) to wash (the inside of something) so as to remove (dirt)
2.
Also wash off. to remove or be removed by washing: grass stains don't wash out easily
3.
(transitive) to cancel or abandon (a sporting event)
noun
4.
(geology)
  1. erosion of the earth's surface by the action of running water
  2. a narrow channel produced by this erosion
5.
(informal)
  1. a total failure or disaster
  2. an incompetent person
6.
a sporting or social event that is cancelled due to rain
7.
(aeronautics) a decrease in the angle of attack of an aircraft wing towards the wing tip
Word Origin and History for washout
n.

"disappointing failure," 1902, from verbal phrase wash out "obliterate, cancel," attested from 1570s, hence colloquial sense of "to call off (an event) due to bad weather, etc."

Slang definitions & phrases for washout

washout

noun
  1. A failure; a total fiasco; flop: I'm afraid our big birthday bash was a washout
  2. A student pilot or aviation cadet who fails to complete the course and become a qualified pilot: the major cause for the large number of ''washouts''

[WWI British military; origin unknown; perhaps because the student's name was washed or scrubbed from the roster]