Rain on someone's parade
Meaning
To spoil someone's enjoyment, plans, or enthusiasm by delivering bad news or a negative remark.
Origin
The vivid image of a meticulously planned street parade, eagerly anticipated and designed to uplift spirits, being utterly ruined by an unexpected downpour is the vibrant core of this idiom. For centuries, literal rain has spoiled celebratory processions, but it was in 20th-century America that this common frustration coalesced into a widely used metaphor. The phrase powerfully captures the universal experience of having one's joyful moment or carefully laid plans unexpectedly and dramatically dampened, transforming a simple weather event into a pithy expression for spoiling another's happiness or success.
Examples
- I don't want to rain on your parade, but the boss just announced that overtime is mandatory this weekend.
- She was so excited about her new promotion, so I didn't have the heart to rain on her parade by mentioning the looming budget cuts.