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Glite Dictionary
to take the shine out of

to take the shine out of

7.3
To make something less enjoyable or impressive
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : quitar el brillo de
  • The rain really took the shine out of our picnic.

Examples

  • She didn't let the criticism take the shine out of her performance.

  • Their constant complaints really take the shine out of working here.

  • A last-minute mistake could take the shine out of an otherwise perfect presentation.

  • Don't take the shine out of her victory!

  • A last-minute mistake could take the shine out of an otherwise perfect presentation.

  • She didn't let the criticism take the shine out of her performance.

  • Their constant complaints take the shine out of working here.

Synonyms

to diminish
vsto take the shine out of
89 4.7

Make a person or thing seem less important

focuses more on reducing pleasure or the enjoyable aspects instead
to overshadow
vsto take the shine out of
48 5.9

To make someone or something seem less important compared with another

directly lessens enjoyment or impressiveness rather than working by comparison
to detract
vsto take the shine out of
32 5.9

Make something seem less good or less valuable

targets lowering enjoyment and positive feeling rather than value alone
to eclipse
vsto take the shine out of
31 6.0

To make someone or something seem less important by comparison

reduces the thing's own enjoyment or appeal rather than only by contrast
to devalue
vsto take the shine out of
22 5.0

To make something seem less important or respected

affects enjoyment and pleasantness rather than economic or social worth
to ruin the mood
vsto take the shine out of
  • Informal
3 4.1

Make people feel less happy in a situation

applies more widely to reducing enjoyment beyond just atmosphere
to deglamorize
vsto take the shine out of
  • US
7.2

To make something seem less attractive or exciting

is more general, reducing overall enjoyment or impressiveness instead
to take the gilt off the gingerbread
vsto take the shine out of
  • Archaic
9.9

Make something seem less special or exciting than before

lowers general pleasure or positive aspects rather than only appearance

Antonyms

to enhance
424 4.0

Make something better or more attractive

to exalt
  • Literature
6 8.1

To make someone feel very happy and inspired

How Enjoyable

to enhance
424 4.0
to improve
∞ 1.0
to dampen
16 4.4
to take the shine out of
  • Informal
7.3
to spoil
80 2.8
to ruin
∞ 2.0

Surface Forms

take the shine out of infinitive
took the shine out of past
taken the shine out of past participle
taking the shine out of present participle
takes the shine out of third person singular

Morphology

take + the + shine + out + of

The phrase literally means to 'take/remove the shine' (take = remove, shine = a positive radiance) from something, so its figurative sense of making something less impressive or enjoyable is directly inferable from the parts. The construction 'take X out of Y' is compositional and the metaphor of 'shine' = attractiveness is common cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would likely understand it.

Etymology

Take the shine out of comes from the simple image of a shiny, polished object losing its brightness; if you rub or scratch it, you take the shine out and it becomes dull. So, saying something 'takes the shine out of' a party or performance means it makes the event feel 'less enjoyable or impressive'.