cast a pall
Spread gloom over
To cast a pall is to create a gloomy or somber atmosphere, dampening what might otherwise be a positive situation.
A pall is the cloth draped over a coffin, so the expression carries associations of death and mourning.
Bad news, tragedy, or even just someone's sour mood can cast a pall over a gathering or event.
The accident cast a pall over the wedding festivities.
His resignation cast a pall over the entire department.
Gravely serious in mood
- bleakDreary and without cheer
- drearyDull and depressing
- dismalDepressingly dark or dull
- funerealGloomily solemn in manner
sepulchral · leaden · overcast · shadow · darkness · shroud · veil · cloud
Damage or overindulge
blight · diminish · subdue · quell · stifle · suppress · extinguish · kill
Celestial body blocks another
- dominateControl through superior strength
- dwarfDiminutive folkloric being
- outweighExceed in importance
- obscureUnknown to most
loom · tower · hang over · blanket · envelop · pervade · suffocate · overwhelm
Intense sorrow from loss
- bereavementState following loss
- funeralService honoring the dead
- deathCessation of life
- lossBeing without something
sorrow · lamentation · dirge · requiem · wake · eulogy · condolences · remembrance
somber
Gravely serious in mood
funereal · sepulchral · leaden · overcast · shadow · darkness · shroud · veil · cloud · murky
spoil
Damage or overindulge
sour · blight · diminish · subdue · quell · stifle · suppress · extinguish · kill · deflate
eclipse
Celestial body blocks another
- dominateControl through superior strength
- dwarfDiminutive folkloric being
- outweighExceed in importance
obscure · loom · tower · hang over · blanket · envelop · pervade · suffocate · overwhelm · overpower
grief
Intense sorrow from loss
- bereavementState following loss
- funeralService honoring the dead
- deathCessation of life
loss · sorrow · lamentation · dirge · requiem · wake · eulogy · condolences · remembrance · memorial