

Home warned the entire party against letting Horace loose on the veranda of the Pelican Bay House when he first caught sight of the imprints of a pair of French heels would show up to “rain on the parade,” and Mr. Homesweet Home,” the following quote is used: There are a few examples from the early 1900s, such as the Schenectady Gazette from September 1912. But, there are records of the phrase being used before then in different forms. It appeared in the film Funny Girl, exposing the idiom to its widest audience. “Rain on someone’s parade” was popularized in 1964 with the song “Don’t rain on my Parade” by Bob Merrill. It could appear in characters’ dialogue or within a narrator’s depiction of a scene or event. That being said, it is possible to use this idiom within fiction, non-fiction, drama, and even poetry. It no longer sounds interesting or sparks the reader’s imagination. There are many different ways to phrase this idiom, so readers shouldn’t be surprised to find some of those versions replacing “rain on someone’s parade.” If a phrase is used too much, it loses its original effect. As is the case with most idioms, this one is boarding on cliché, something that writers are not fond of when it comes to creating narration or dialogue. Writers use “rain on somebody’s parade” in the same way and for the same reasons that the phrase is used in everyday conversations. Why Do Writers Use “Rain on someone’s parade?”

The child’s mood immediately plummets, and they lose all confidence in their outfit. The parent comes into the room and tells them that they look ridiculous and need to change.

These are all examples of situations in which someone might use a version of “rain on someone’s parade.” The word “someone” can be replaced with any possessive pronoun.Ī child is getting ready for school and feeling excited about the clothes they’ve chosen to wear that day. One person might make fun of another’s excitement, give a piece of unneeded news, or try, on purpose, to ruin another person’s day. For example, one friend might say to another, “You didn’t have to rain on her parade.” Someone might use the phrase “rain on someone’s parade” when they want to chastise another person for their actions. But, this also means that it’s used quite a bit and may not today have the effect it did when it was first coming into common use in the 1900s. This means that any person can find an opportunity to use it. It is not defined by any specific event, time, place, or circumstance. It’s possible to use “rain on someone’s parade” in a wide variety of situations. Just like rain would ruin a festive parade, so too does this metaphorical rain ruin someone’s metaphorical parade. The “rain” is a symbol for whatever the bad news is, and the “parade” a symbol for the person’s previously optimistic state of mind. It’s something they don’t want to hear, and that shifts how they understand a situation. It refers to the act of ruining someone’s mood by giving them a piece of information. The idiom “rain on someone’s parade” is an interesting and versatile one.
