Meaning
To take away someone's praise or attention by doing something impressive before they can, thereby stealing their credit or spotlight.
Primary Function
Overshadowing.
Communicative Purpose
To describe being outshone or taking glory.
Pattern
steal ; someone's thunder
Core Structure
steal ; someone's thunder
Função primária
Overshadowing.
Propósito comunicativo
To describe being outshone or taking glory.
Situações de gatilho
Announcements, reveals, performances.
Contextos
Workplace, media, relationships.
Padrão
steal ; someone's thunder
Estrutura central
steal ; someone's thunder
Slots de substituição
possessive pronoun → my, your, his, her, our, their
Colocados típicos
- try to
- feel like
- accidentally
Substituições comuns
- upstage
- grab the spotlight
Erros comuns
steal the thunder (missing possessive)
Similar / contraste
steal the spotlight, steal the show, rain on someone's parade, give credit where credit is due
Interferências
Literal translation may confuse learners; the idiom's meaning is not deducible from the individual words.
Família do chunk
- steal the spotlight
- steal the show
- rain on someone's parade
Nuance
Slightly informal, often used in spoken English to criticize someone for taking credit for another's idea or achievement.
Efeito pragmático
Expresses criticism or accusation of stealing credit or attention.
Dica de memória
Steal thunder, steal glory
Nota
Used to accuse someone of taking credit for another's idea or achievement.
Upgrade path
to take credit for someone else's work
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