damp squib vs failure

damp squib

noun
  • Anything that doesn’t work properly, or fails to come up to expectations; a dud. 

  • A firework that has been wet and therefore fails to go off correctly. 

failure

noun
  • An object, person or endeavour in a state of failure or incapable of success. 

  • Omission to do something, whether or not it was attempted, especially something that ought to have been done. 

  • State or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, opposite of success. 

  • Bankruptcy. 

  • Termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function; breakdown. 

How often have the words damp squib and failure occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )