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throw cold water on

throw cold wa·ter on
T t

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [throh kohld waw-ter, wot-er on, awn]
    • /θroʊ koʊld ˈwɔ tər, ˈwɒt ər ɒn, ɔn/
    • /θrəʊ kəʊld ˈwɔːtə(r) ɒn/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [throh kohld waw-ter, wot-er on, awn]
    • /θroʊ koʊld ˈwɔ tər, ˈwɒt ər ɒn, ɔn/

Definitions of throw cold water on words

  • adjective throw cold water on having a relatively low temperature; having little or no warmth: cold water; a cold day. 1
  • adjective throw cold water on feeling an uncomfortable lack of warmth; chilled: The skaters were cold. 1
  • adjective throw cold water on having a temperature lower than the normal temperature of the human body: cold hands. 1
  • adjective throw cold water on lacking in passion, emotion, enthusiasm, ardor, etc.; dispassionate: cold reason. 1
  • adjective throw cold water on not affectionate, cordial, or friendly; unresponsive: a cold reply; a cold reception. 1
  • adjective throw cold water on lacking sensual desire: She remained cold to his advances. 1
See all 34 definitions of throw cold water on

Information block about the term

Origin of throw cold water on

First appearance:

before 950
One of the 4% oldest English words
before 950; Middle English; Old English cald, ceald; cognate with Gothic kalds, Old Norse kaldr, German kalt, Dutch koud; akin to Latin gel- in gelidus gelid

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Throw cold water on

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of Throw cold water on

throw cold water on popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 100% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

throw cold water on usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for throw cold water on

verb throw cold water on

  • beat down — When the sun beats down, it is very hot and bright.
  • boxed in — simple past tense and past participle of box in.
  • bum out — a person who avoids work and sponges on others; loafer; idler.
  • cast down — If someone is cast down by something, they are sad or worried because of it.
  • corked — (of a wine) tainted through having a cork containing excess tannin
All 37 Synonyms of throw cold water on

See also

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