in the cold light of day

Idioms  

1. Dispassionately, unemotionally, especially at a later time. For example, They had a terrible fight about the mix-up, but in the cold light of day they realized they were both at fault. This expression transfers the illumination of daylight to rational understanding and uses cold to emphasize the lack of passion.

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Example Sentences

Despite some of my off-the-cuff speculation Monday night Twitter, in the cold light of day I think the ugly truth is that this story hurts both candidates, potentially quite badly.

From Salon • Jan. 14, 2020

This uneven Pasadena Playhouse production complicates matters further, but the arresting drama unfolds in the mind like a scary dream that demands to be decoded in the cold light of day.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2018

Later, in the cold light of day, Everett reconsidered his position—and decided to double down on it.

From Scientific American • Mar. 21, 2018

And a wooden toilet brush that I’d admired online, which comes with its own cunning little galvanized bucket, seemed, in the cold light of day, actually kind of revolting.

From The New Yorker • Mar. 1, 2017

The consequences of rejection would be devastating, and in the cold light of day he did not know how he would find the will to go on, without her.

From The Mantooth by Leadem, Christopher