Fail-deadly

Fail-deadly is like playing an extreme game of tag. It means that if something bad happens, then everyone is in danger. If a child playing tag doesn't tag someone back, the other players might decide that everyone should start running away. That way, if someone doesn't run, they could be in danger. In the same way, if a country does not respond to another country's attack, then the other country might decide that it's time for war, and everyone will be in danger.