to pour cold water on

1 7.4

Make someone feel less excited about an idea or plan

phrasal verb

Informal

: desanimar

Yet here was Churchill, ready to pour cold water on the American public's postwar exaltation.
poured cold water on the idea

Examples

Not to pour cold water on your newlywed bliss, but money is one of the top sources of conflict within marriage.

Blog text (34)
Whenever someone proposes a new idea, Jason is quick to pour cold water on it, dampening everyone's enthusiasm.
He wants to pour cold water on the story.
He wants to pour cold water on the story.
As soon as the numbers were released on October 5, Jack Welch, the former chairman of General Electric, via Twitter, instantly poured cold water on the announcement.

Blog text (20)
Far be it from me to pour cold water on all your fun, but if Mrs. Scrubitt catches you trying to escape, you'll all get six months in the coop.

Wonka (2023)
It sounded like Toney was pouring cold water on Buster's win, and we didn't like that.

Fiction book (1990)
Ria didn't want to pour cold water on his dreams, and she didn't want to sound like her sister, obsessing about cost, but this was fantasy.

Fiction book (1999)
Sara wanted to start a new project, but her colleague seemed eager to pour cold water on her plans with constant criticism.
The coach's harsh feedback during practice often pours cold water on the players' excitement after a good game.

Synonyms

to chill

vsto pour cold water on

148 7.2

To make people feel afraid or less enthusiastic

is specifically about criticizing or expressing doubt, not only mood change

to throw cold water on

vsto pour cold water on

Informal

2 7.4

Make people less excited about an idea or plan by saying bad things about it

can also express doubt rather than only blunt criticism

to pour cold water

vsto pour cold water on

Informal

1 7.4

To say things that make people less excited about a plan

focuses more on expressing doubt rather than active criticism

to rain on someone's parade

vsto pour cold water on

Informal

1 7.4

Make someone less happy or excited by pointing out problems

is aimed at reducing excitement by doubt or criticism

Antonyms

to support

∞ 1.0

Give help to a person or idea

to validate

Formal

87 3.9

To make something officially acceptable by showing proof

How Discouraging

to squash enthusiasm

6.5

to pour cold water on

Informal

1 7.4

to put someone off

20 4.3

to criticize

701 3.3

to call into question

33 4.5

Surface Forms

pour cold water on infinitive

poured cold water on past

poured cold water on past participle

pouring cold water on present participle

pours cold water on third person singular

Morphology

pour + cold + water + on

The phrase maps metaphorically from the literal image of pouring cold water (which dampens or extinguishes heat) onto something to the idea of damping enthusiasm or support. The connection is fairly transparent semantically, but it relies on a metaphoric/conventionalised transfer (and some cultural knowledge) rather than strict compositional meaning, so a B1 learner might not always predict the exact sense without exposure.

Etymology

Pour cold water on comes from the clear image of someone pouring cold water onto a fire or hot food so the heat stops and the flames go out. So, to pour cold water on an idea means to 'discourage' it or make people less excited.