throw cold water on

present singular third person throws cold water on · participle present throwing cold water on · past threw cold water on · participle past thrown cold water on

1. idiomatictransitive(of an achievement, emotion, idea, suggestion, etc.) To belittle or dismiss; to cast doubt upon; to debunk.

   "Now, Peleg, don't throw cold water on my enthusiasm," said Tom reproachfully.

   1904, Arthur M. Winfield (Edward Stratemeyer), “Something about the Military Academy”, in The Rover Boys in Camp: or The Rivals of Pine Island (Famous Rover Boys' Series), New York, N.Y.: Grosset & Dunlap, →OCLC, page 49

   2 more examples

   Oh! no; there would be a Mrs. Knightley to throw cold water on every thing.—Extremely disagreeable!

   1815 December 23, [Jane Austen], chapter XVII, in Emma: A Novel. In Three Volumes, volume III, London: Printed for John Murray, published 1816, →OCLC, page 329

   Sports economists tend to throw cold water on such studies, saying they often rely on unreliable or exaggerated data.

   2008 January 15, Don Walker, “Forget the wind chill. How 'bout that windfall?: With the Packers' season in double overtime, Brown County businesses are seeing green”, in Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee, Wis.: Journal Sentinel, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 09 Mar 2016

   Synonyms: pour cold water on