burst bubble
Popped false hope
To burst someone's bubble is to shatter their illusion or unrealistic expectation, often abruptly: I hate to burst your bubble, but that job offer isn't coming.
The image is of a fragile, beautiful sphere suddenly popping—delicate optimism meeting harsh reality.
The phrase usually signals unwelcome news delivered with some reluctance or apology.
- popFizzy drink, regionally
- deflateRelease air from
- shatterFragment violently, suddenly
- disillusionDestroy naive beliefs
- rude awakeningStartling unpleasant realization
crash · collapse · pop culture · dream · fantasy · pie in the sky · soap · iridescent · fragile · thin · thin skin · air · up in smoke · prick · needle · hope · false hope · reality
- Punctured Thingsflat tire, blown tire, punctured lung, nail hole, puncture wound
- comicscomic books, comic book, comic strip, comic art, comic panel
- bubblescarbonation, foam, effervescence, froth, fizz
- setbacksfailing, back to square one, stuck, losing, stumbles
burst bubblekeep up appearances
Pretend all is well
play along · sugarcoat · string along · whitewash · coddle
burst bubblefan the flames
Deliberately worsen a dispute
string along · lead on · build castles in the air · promise the moon · paint a rosy picture
burst, bubble, bursts, bursting, bubbles, bubbled, bubbling, bubbly