On that note, I hate to rain on your parade but that is the end of this Words and Their Stories.This sounds like a good idea to do first before moving your boat. If you do not want to use this parade expression, you can also simply say, “I hate to break it to you, but …” and then you break, or tell, the bad news. I just talked to our teacher and our exam is definitely tomorrow. I already made reservations and bought the tickets.Ī: Well, I hate to rain on your parade, but, as usual, Theo doesn’t know what he’s talking about. We’re going out to dinner and then a movie. Besides, didn’t you hear? Our exam has been rescheduled for next week.ī: Well, yeah. Now, let’s hear these two classmates use it in a conversation.Ī: Hey, do you want to come over tonight and study for our exam?ī: No. We often use “rain on someone’s parade” when we give bad but not very serious news. So, let’s go back to our parade expression. Knowing when to use these expressions is important. No one was having fun” or “The event I went to over the weekend was a downer.” I can even say, “The parents coming home to the party was a real buzzkill.” So, we could say, “The party was a real drag. While all of those names can describe a person, we can also use “drag,” “downer” and sometimes “buzzkill” to refer to the event. However, if you need one to use in a more formal situation, do not pick “buzzkill” or “party pooper.” We can call them buzz kill, killjoy, party pooper, stick-in-the-mud, a drag or simply a downer. Yuck.īesides “wet blanket,” we have other names to call these people who can ruin a good time. Imagine, again, curling up on a cold day with a wet blanket. This is someone who ruins a very good time and brings everybody down. We do not want to be called a wet blanket. Now, usually we do not like to pop someone’s balloon or rain on someone's parade. The good time playing with the balloon is over. Imagine if you will, a child playing with a balloon and you came along and popped it. They are really looking forward to something and we pop their balloon – another expression meaning to ruin someone’s good time. It was part of the 92nd annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York, Nov. ![]() This balloon is a character from the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series. Streets are closed and people line the sidewalks to watch. Sometimes famous people travel in parades, waving from the open tops of fancy convertible cars. Some parade floats - as the decorated vehicles are called - have speakers and expensive electronics. ![]() It often involves richly decorated vehicles and marching bands with valuable instruments. To understand this expression, we first need to talk about a parade.Ī lot of planning goes into a parade. So, that is the theme of today’s show – ruining a good time, or to use a weather expression, raining on someone’s parade. If you have ever planned an outdoor party or picnic, you know that nothing puts a damper on outdoor fun like rain! In other words, rain can limit your fun – or even make you cancel your party. ![]() Now, today we talk about something found everywhere in the world: rain. We also give you a little backstory on how the expressions began. We give you examples on when and how to use them. We talk about them a little more in depth. This program explores common expressions in American English. Now, Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning English.
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