throws cold water on
Kills the mood
To throw cold water on something is to discourage or dampen enthusiasm for it, as if dousing a fire.
The expression suggests a sudden, deflating response to someone's plans or excitement.
She threw cold water on my idea to start a podcast.
Every time I get excited about something, he throws cold water on it.
The metaphor captures how quickly enthusiasm can be extinguished by criticism or skepticism.
- dejectTo lower spirits
- discourageDiminish someone's confidence
- rain on someone's paradeSpoil another's excitement
- burst someone's bubbleDispel a comforting illusion
- deterPrevent through intimidation
squash · shoot down · quench · dishearten · dampen · dissuade · extinguish · dispirit · demoralize · staves off · chill · temper · moderate · stifle · suppress · deflate · knock down a peg · put a damper on