Take the wind out of your sails
Suggest a CorrectionMeaning
To deflate someone's confidence or momentum, draining their drive.
Origin
From 19th-century seafaring, where ships stole wind by cutting ahead; slang by 1810 for a blow. An 1835 'Times' uses it for a debate's flop.
Variants
- Wind out of sails
- Take the sails
Usage Examples
- His critique took the wind out of my sails.
- She took the wind out of his sails with that fact.
- Bad news took the wind out of our sails today.
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