spoilsport

See also: spoil-sport

English

WOTD – 2 September 2008

Alternative forms

• spoil-sport (dated)

Etymology

From the verbal expression spoil sport (“ruin the amusement”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈspɔɪl.spɔːt/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈspɔɪl.spɔɹt/

• Audio (US):

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• Audio (General Australian):

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• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)t

Noun

spoilsport (plural spoilsports)

1. Someone who puts an end to others' fun, especially harmless fun.

   Synonyms: killjoy, party pooper; see also Thesaurus:spoilsport

   • 1908, E[dward] M[organ] Forster, chapter XIV, in A Room with a View, London: Edward Arnold, →OCLC:

     I know I am a sad spoilsport, but it would make me wretched.

   • 1912 February 6 (date written), [George] Bernard Shaw, “Androcles and the Lion”, in Androcles and the Lion, Overruled, Pygmalion, London: Constable and Company, published 1916, →OCLC, Act II, page 31:

     He looks a spoilsport. There are men in whose presence it is impossible to have any fun: men who are a sort of walking conscience.

Adjective

spoilsport (comparative more spoilsport, superlative most spoilsport)

1. Like a spoilsport.
   • 2019 September 10, Phil McNulty, “'England horribly fallible in defence' against Kosovo in Euro 2020 qualifying”, in BBC Sport‎^[1]:

     It may seem somewhat spoilsport to focus in on this negative after another important victory but to ignore it would be delusion. Southgate will not be letting it escape his attention.

Translations

someone who puts an end to harmless fun

• Catalan: aixafaguitarres (ca) c, esgarriacries (ca) m or f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 潑冷水的人／泼冷水的人 (zh) (pōlěngshuǐ de rén), 掃興的人／扫兴的人 (zh) (sǎoxìng de rén), 煞風景的人／煞风景的人 (zh) (shāfēngjǐng de rén)

• Danish: lyseslukker n
• Dutch: pretbederver (nl) m, spelbreker (nl) m, spelbederver (nl) m
• Estonian: tujurikkuja
• Faroese: gleðidrepari m
• Finnish: ilonpilaaja (fi)
• French: rabat-joie (fr) m, trouble-fête (fr) m
• Georgian: აბეზარა (abezara)
• German: Spielverderber (de) m, Spielverderberin (de) f, Spaßverderber m, Spaßverderberin f, Spaßbremse (de) f
• Hebrew: מַשְׁבִּית שְׂמָחוֹת m (mashbít smaẖót)
• Hungarian: ünneprontó (hu)
• Icelandic: gleðispillir m
• Irish: seargánach m, cnádánaí m
• Italian: guastafeste (it) m
• Japanese: please add this translation if you can
• Korean: please add this translation if you can
• Latin: occīsor fēstārum c (literally “party killer”)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: gledesdreper m, festbrems (no) m

  Nynorsk: gledesdrepar

• Plautdietsch: Spellvedoawa m
• Polish: złośliwiec m
• Portuguese: desmancha-prazeres m or f estraga-prazeres (pt) m or f
• Russian: кайфоло́м (ru) m (kajfolóm) кайфоло́мка f (kajfolómka) (slang), обло́мщик (ru) m (oblómščik), обло́мщица (ru) f (oblómščica) (slang), зану́да (ru) m or f (zanúda), брюзга́ (ru) m or f (brjuzgá), ны́тик (ru) m (nýtik)
• Serbo-Croatian: partibrejker m

  Cyrillic: квариигра

  Roman: kvariigra

• Spanish: cortarrollos m or f, aguafiestas (es) f or m
• Swedish: glädjedödare (sv) c
• Turkish: mızıkçı (tr), oyunbozan (tr)
• Walloon: rabadjoye (wa) m or f
• Welsh: surbwch (cy) m, lladdwr hwyl m