Meaning
Spoil someone’s plans or happiness.
Primary Function
Expressing disappointment
Communicative Purpose
To gently convey that something will ruin someone’s excitement or plans.
Pattern
rain on ; parade
Core Structure
rain on ; parade
Função primária
Expressing disappointment
Propósito comunicativo
To gently convey that something will ruin someone’s excitement or plans.
Situações de gatilho
Cancelling plans, delivering bad news, revealing obstacles
Contextos
Social interactions, workplace communication
Padrão
rain on ; parade
Estrutura central
rain on ; parade
Slots de substituição
Possessive pronoun: your, my, his, her, their
Colocados típicos
- I hate to
- I don’t mean to
- I’m sorry to
Substituições comuns
- burst your bubble (more blunt)
- pour cold water on (more formal)
Erros comuns
Using 'the parade' instead of a possessive (e.g., *rain on the parade*)
Similar / contraste
pour cold water on, burst your bubble, put a damper on
Interferências
Not about weather.
Família do chunk
- Disappointment idioms
Nuance
Mildly apologetic or gently accusatory; softens the delivery of bad news.
Efeito pragmático
Softens negative delivery by framing the bad news as unintended.
Dica de memória
Raincloud over a parade
Nota
If you need to express disappointment or inform someone about an issue, this phrase is useful in both personal and professional contexts.
Upgrade path
I regret to dampen your enthusiasm
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