dashing someone's hopes
Destroying anticipated outcomes
To dash someone's hopes is to destroy or shatter their expectations, usually suddenly.
The image is of something fragile being smashed against a hard surface: Her rejection letter dashed his hopes of attending Yale.
The phrase often appears in passive constructions: Our hopes were dashed when the deal fell through.
- discouragementLoss of confidence
- cold waterFigurative enthusiasm killer
- failureLack of success
- setbacksReversals of progress
- betrayalBreaking of trust
broken dreams · disappointment · bubble burst · disillusionment · rejection · shot down · letdown · criticism · obstacles · dead end · despair · lost cause · regret · ruin · defeat · crushed · fallen through · heartbreak
dashes, dashed, dasher, dashing, someone, hopes, hopefulness, hopeless, hopelessly