This is the 11927th most frequent German word.
totalausfall
"Totalausfall" means "total failure" or "complete breakdown."
Here, 'Totalausfall' is used to describe an instance where there was a complete and total failure of a system, specifically the electricity.
Der Strom war letzte Nacht ein Totalausfall.
The power was a total outage last night.
In this context, 'Totalausfall' refers to a personal performance that was utterly unsuccessful or failed completely.
Der Spieler hatte einen Totalausfall und traf kein einziges Tor.
The player had a total failure and didn't score a single goal.
Here, 'Totalausfall' is used metaphorically to describe something, in this case, a project, that failed to achieve the expected outcomes entirely.