verb
Meaning 1
To spoil someone's celebration.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: idiomatic
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Phrase guide
rain on someone's parade
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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verb
Meaning 2
To disappoint or discourage someone by ruining or criticizing their plans or aspirations.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively
Examples
- I hate to rain on your parade, but lots of people have tried that strategy and it hasn't worked yet.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: burst someone's bubble, piss in someone's cereal, piss in someone's Cheerios, piss in someone's cornflakes, piss on someone's chips, piss on someone's bonfire, piss on someone's campfire, put a damper on, rain on someone's parade, shit in someone's cereal, shit in someone's Cheerios, shit in someone's cornflakes, take the wind out of someone's sails, upset the applecart
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
First appeared around 1900.
Across languages
Translations
15 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Dutch: de feestvreugde bederven — to disappoint or discourage someone
- Finnish: kaataa kylmää vettä jonkun niskaan — to disappoint or discourage someone
- French: jouer les rabat-joie — to disappoint or discourage someone
- French: doucher l'enthousiasme de — to disappoint or discourage someone
- German: jemandem in die Suppe spucken — to disappoint or discourage someone
- Hungarian: ünneprontó — to disappoint or discourage someone
- Hungarian: elrontja az örömét — to disappoint or discourage someone
- Italian: mettere i bastoni tra le ruote — to disappoint or discourage someone
- Italian: rompere le uova nel paniere — to disappoint or discourage someone
- Japanese: 水を差す (mizu wo sasu) — to disappoint or discourage someone
- Polish: psuć frajdę — to disappoint or discourage someone
- Polish: zepsuć frajdę — to disappoint or discourage someone
- Russian: ло́жка дёгтя (lóžka djógtja) — to disappoint or discourage someone
- Sicilian: rumpiri l'ova ntô panaru — to disappoint or discourage someone
- Spanish: lloverle el desfile — to disappoint or discourage someone