after the Lord Mayor's show
- idiom
- UK
- The excitement of graduation faded, and it felt very much after the Lord Mayor's show.
Examples
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The festival was followed by a dull Monday, as always happens after the Lord Mayor's show.
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The party was lively, but it felt dull after the Lord Mayor's show.
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The atmosphere at work this week has been quiet, almost like after the Lord Mayor's show.
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Everything seems quiet after the Lord Mayor's show.
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After the wedding celebrations ended, the days felt quiet, almost like after the Lord Mayor's show.
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The excitement of the concert was short-lived, and the atmosphere the next day was clearly after the Lord Mayor's show.
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The holiday festivities were amazing, but now that they are over, it feels just like after the Lord Mayor's show.
Synonyms
A disappointing end after a long build up of excitement
A period of low energy and bad mood after strong excitement or a drug high
The first excitement has gone
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
after + the + Lord + Mayor's + show
The phrase is compositionally built from 'after' (temporal) + 'the Lord Mayor's show' (a specific public event), so a learner who knows the constituents can infer it refers to the time following a big celebration. However, the expression relies on a culturally specific named event (the Lord Mayor's Show) and conveys an idiomatic nuance of anticlimax or reduced excitement that may not be predictable without cultural/pragmatic knowledge. Because the core temporal relation is transparent but the idiomatic, culture-dependent sense is not fully derivable, it is best classified as semi-transparent.
Etymology
The phrase after the Lord Mayor's show may come from a big London parade where the Lord Mayor rides in a loud show with music and crowds, and when the parade ends the streets go very quiet. So, it means 'a drop in excitement or activity' after a major event.