rain on someone's parade

English

WOTD – 27 September 2009

Etymology

First appeared around 1900.

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

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Verb

rain on someone's parade (third-person singular simple present rains on someone's parade, present participle raining on someone's parade, simple past and past participle rained on someone's parade)

1. (figuratively) To disappoint or discourage someone by ruining or criticizing their plans or aspirations.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:put a damper on

   I hate to rain on your parade, but lots of people have tried that strategy and it hasn't worked yet.

   • 1964, Bob Merrill, Jule Styne (lyrics and music), “Don't Rain on My Parade”, in Funny Girl, performed by Barbra Streisand:

     If someone takes a spill / It's me and not you / Who told you you're allowed / To rain on my parade?

Translations

to disappoint or discourage someone

• Dutch: de feestvreugde bederven
• Finnish: kaataa kylmää vettä jonkun niskaan
• French: jouer les rabat-joie, doucher l’enthousiasme de
• German: jemandem in die Suppe spucken (de)
• Italian: mettere i bastoni tra le ruote, rompere le uova nel paniere
• Japanese: 水を差す (みずをさす, mizu wo sasu)
• Russian: (somewhat) ло́жка дёгтя (lóžka djógtja)
• Sicilian: rumpiri l'ova ntô panaru

See also

• rock the boat
• make waves
• upset the applecart
• burst someone's bubble
• put a damper on
• wet blanket
• killjoy
• party pooper
• spoilsport
• stick in the mud
• piss on someone's bonfire
• yuck someone's yum