Podcast: Sorry to rain on your parade

Podcast Inglês Online

What’s up? No podcast Inglês Online de hoje eu falo sobre a expressão ‘rain on someone’s parade‘, super comum no dia a dia do falante de inglês. Não perca…

Transcrição

Hi, everyone. How is it going? What’s up? How have you been? Today is the day for another episode of the Inglês Online podcast. I’m Ana Luiza and it’s been busy… it’s been a busy week. We’re working on the relaunch of the ‘Curso Básico’- the new edition of our Curso Básico. I’ve also been releasing free video classes, which, if you haven’t watched yet… You should head over to the homepage of inglesonline.com.br, insert your email and watch these lessons because they’re pretty cool.

So, let’s focus on the podcast. Today I just wanted to talk a little bit about this really cool expression, I mean… The meaning, you know… it’s not that cheerful, but it’s a very nice… It’s a nice expression, very common and people use it a lot. Again, if you’re someone… Like I said in previous episodes, if you are someone who watches a lot of movies and sitcoms you have definitely heard it.

The idiom of today is rain on someone’s parade. So, this is pretty easy to visualise. Imagine a parade, let’s see… in Brazil we have September 7th which is Independence Day. So we have a parade. So now imagine that all of a sudden it starts to rain on the parade. And now imagine that you’re using that as a metaphor and – you are the rain on someone’s parade.

I think you can get the meaning. You can get what it means pretty easily, so you’re basically… when you’re raining on someone’s parade, metaphorically speaking, you’re basically killing their joy or you’re basically telling them that whatever they were expecting… Whatever they were very excited about isn’t going to happen for some reason. So, let me give you an example. This is actually based on a true story.

Let’s say you’re planning a really nice day out for the weekend. You’ve looked at the weather forecast. It’s going to be a sunny day – great! You talk to a few friends and you start organising this little day trip to the mountains… It doesn’t matter… somewhere! One of the big attractions in this place that you want to go to with your friends is that they have this shopping mall with some kind of specialty store. Let’s say they sell computer parts and these computer parts are really hard to find, so obviously I’m assuming you and your friends are really into computers.

And you and your friends are really excited about it. So you’re going to this place in the mountains on Sunday and you’re really looking forward to going to the shops. And you are spending a bit of money to buy these computer parts that are otherwise very hard to find. You spend the week chatting with your friends and planning out your journey.

And then Sunday morning comes around and you’re all about to get in the car and your other friend – who didn’t get invited by the way… He calls you on your cell phone and you answer the phone, and you tell him: Hey, well, you know… We happen to be going to that place, that shop to have a look at the computer parts. And your friend says: Hey, I’m sorry to rain on your parade, but those shops are closed. It’s Sunday.

I mean, can you relate? I know I can. I mean, that has definitely happened with me before. You leave one little detail out… I mean, it’s an essential detail – let’s be honest – but at the time it seemed like a small detail, right? One little thing you didn’t think about and BAM… your trip is ruined. You know, whatever. You decide to go anyway and have fun with your friends or you just cancel the day and stay home.

But that’s it, that guy said… I mean, it wasn’t his fault, right? The guy in the phone – but that’s why he said: I hate to rain on your parade. I hate to kill the excitement and the joy that you guys are feeling because you’re finally going to that shop, but here’s the deal: the shops are closed.

So, that’s it, I mean…. Tell me: have you heard this expression a lot? Because it’s a pretty common one. Let me know in the comments and talk to you soon. Bye!

Key expressions

• Rain on someone’s parade

Vocabulary

head over to = ir até

parade = desfile

joy = alegria, felicidade

day out for the weekend = final de semana fora

weather forecast = previsão do tempo

specialty store = loja especializada

computer parts = peças ou componentes de computador

you and your friends are really into computers = você e seus amigos são chegados/gostam muito de computadores

looking forward to something = estar ansioso por alguma coisa

leave one little detail out = deixar um pequeno detalhe de fora

but here’s the deal = ai é que está, o negócio é o seguinte