cold shower

Idioms  

1. A surprisingly chilly reception, reaction, or response, as in The small voter turnout was a cold shower to the League of Women Voters. The allusion in this term is to the unexpected and not always pleasant effect of an ice-cold shower. [Second half of 1900s]

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Example Sentences

The Premier League's power was supposedly emphasised by having six teams in the last 16 following the league stage, but this was something of a cold shower hosed on talk of its supremacy as City and Chelsea were heavily beaten, following on from defeats for Liverpool and Spurs on Tuesday.

From BBC

“The question will not only be a cold shower for production of housing in Massachusetts, but it also is gonna hurt little people—people that are trying to build generational wealth,” said Greg Vasil, chief executive of the Greater Boston Real Estate Board.

From The Wall Street Journal

So a year or so on, he must feel the Civil Service has not yet been given the short sharp shock of an invigorating cold shower he thinks it needs.

From BBC

"Everybody received that email like a cold shower," he said.

From BBC

"He was very firm. It was a cold shower," one source shared.

From Salon