conversation stopper
1
8.1
- noun
:
detenedor de conversación
- Bringing up politics at the dinner party turned out to be a major conversation stopper, causing guests to shift awkwardly in their seats.
Examples
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Her remark about the scandal was a real conversation stopper that left everyone in the room silent.
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Kind of a conversation stopper.
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That was a conversation stopper if ever there was one.
Fiction book (2002) -
That is a conversation stopper and impossible to argue with.
Blog text (10) -
God, that's a conversation stopper.
-
Thorwald tells her to "shut up," a conversation stopper if there ever was one.
Academic text (1999) -
What a conversation stopper.
Fiction book (1993) -
Indeed, which is why I said if you don't accept that fundamental premise, then that is a conversation stopper.
Blog text (26) -
The unexpected question he asked during the meeting became a conversation stopper as no one knew how to respond.
Synonyms
9
5.3
Something that suddenly stops an activity or makes people silent
1
6.3
A short sharp comment that sounds rude
A quick sharp remark that leaves someone speechless
A sharp remark that stops someone speaking and shames them
A quick rude remark that shows little respect and sounds proud
A rude comment that shows no respect for other people
Antonyms
How Closing
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and transparently derived from the constituents: 'conversation' (dialogue) + 'stopper' (something that stops), so 'conversation stopper' clearly refers to something that stops a conversation. This noun–noun compounding follows a regular, compositional pattern found across languages and would be immediately inferable to a B1 learner who knows both words.
Etymology
Conversation stopper comes from the image of a stopper or cork that blocks a bottle and stops the flow, with conversation as the flow of talk. So a conversation stopper is a remark that blocks the talk and leaves people 'no polite or easy way to respond'.