rain on (one's) parade

rain on (one's) parade

To ruin one's plans or dampen one's excitement. I hate to rain on your parade, but I think your A in chemistry was actually a clerical error. Mom really rained on our parade by chaperoning our school dance.

See also: on, parade, rain

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

rain on someone's parade

 and rain on someone or something

Fig. to spoil something for someone. I hate to rain on your parade, but your plans are all wrong. She really rained on our plans.

See also: on, parade, rain

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

rain on one's parade

Spoil one's plans, as in The minority party in the legislature has tried hard to rain on the speaker's parade, but so far his agenda has prevailed . This expression conjures up the image of a downpour ruining a celebration such as a parade. [c. 1900]

See also: on, parade, rain

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

rain on someone's parade

JOURNALISM

If someone rains on your parade, they do something which spoils your plans or spoils an event that you hoped to enjoy. To make sure that all goes according to plan and no one rains on his parade, the president's safari will stay clear of trouble spots. It's irritating that he could rain on my parade by stealing the record before me.

See also: on, parade, rain

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

rain on somone's parade

prevent someone from enjoying an occasion or event; spoil someone's plans. informal, chiefly North American

See also: on, parade, rain

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

ˌrain on somebody’s ˈparade

(American English) spoil something for somebody: Drugs again rained on the Olympics’ parade as another athlete tested positive for an illegal substance.

See also: on, parade, rain

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

rain on someone’s parade

and rain on someone/something

in. to spoil something for someone. I hate to rain on your parade, but your plans are all wrong.

See also: on, parade, rain

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

rain on someone's parade, to

To spoil someone’s plans or celebration. This term, which calls up a vivid image of a downpour spoiling elaborate floats and dampening spirits, has been around since about 1900. Sheila Rule, reporting on a plan to replace Britain’s House of Lords with an elected second chamber, wrote, “But the opposition Labor Party, which has long sought to rain on the Lords’ political parade, is once again aiming at those men and women” (New York Times, 1990).

See also: on, rain, to

The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer