stealing someone's thunder
Claiming unearned credit
Stealing someone's thunder means taking credit for another's idea or diminishing their moment by doing or announcing something first.
The phrase comes from an 18th-century playwright whose sound-effects technique for stage thunder was used without permission by a rival production.
She announced her engagement at my birthday party and completely stole my thunder.
- one-upmanshipQuest to surpass others
- taking creditAccepting acknowledgment for work
- opportunismExploiting circumstances for gain
- resentmentPersistent bitter displeasure
- demoralizationLoss of confidence and hope
betrayal · upstaging · frustration · self-doubt · scene-stealing · glory hog · power dynamics · sabotage · preemptive strike · anger · sour grapes · plagiarism · tactical maneuvering · emotional manipulation · showboating · overshadowing · strategic positioning · copyright infringement
stealing someone's thunderpaying tribute
steals, stealer, stealthy, stealth, stealthily, someone, thunder, thunders, thundered