Steal someone's thunder

To take credit for someone else's idea or success, or to overshadow their moment by preempting it with your own, often with a sense of unfairness or rivalry. It suggests snatching a dramatic effect.

From a literal event in 1709 London, when playwright John Dennis invented a thunder sound effect for his failed play. A rival theater stole it for 'Macbeth,' prompting Dennis to cry, 'They've stolen my thunder!' Reported in a 1725 anecdote, it became a theatrical idiom by the 19th century, spreading to general use-like an 1890s article on idea theft. It reflects Restoration drama's flair and a growing culture of intellectual ownership.