deter or discourage somebody
to deter someone from doing something
to discourage someone from a goal or mission
to minimize enthusiasm
the phrase is also used to speak about dousing something with water that is cold, literally
It is not nice to pour cold water on someone’s plan when you do not want to be a part of it in the first place.
I had to pour cold water on his plans of bungee jumping in this remote village. I just cannot be sure that the safety measures taken here are adequate.
Miranda is very intelligent and hardworking girl but her step-mother always use to pour cold water on her.
The vegetables seem to be fresh because she is just pouring cold water on them.
I often pour cold water on my son’s head to wake him up completely. Cruel as it may seem, it gets him to college on time.
She throw cold water on the activity by saying that she will not be participating.
There is no origin for this idiom
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definition
Common phrase that has a specific meaning.