Referring to the idea of a ship that intercepts the wind of another, causing it to slow or stop.
takethewindout ofsomeone'ssails (third-person singular simple presenttakes the wind out of someone's sails,present participletaking the wind out of someone's sails,simple pasttook the wind out of someone's sails,past participletaken the wind out of someone's sails)
- (idiomatic) Todiscourage someone greatly; to cause someone to losehope or thewill tocontinue; tothwart orminimize someone's ambitions.
c.1860,Louisa May Alcott,Aunt Kipp:"I tell you Van Bahr Lamb is a fool."[…]
But Polly[…] completelytook the wind out of her sails, by coolly remarking,— "I like fools."
1922,Frances Hodgson Burnett, chapter 31, inThe Head of the House of Coombe:Could he have some elderly idea of wanting a youngster for a wife? Occasionally an old chap did. Serve him right if some young chaptook the wind out of his sails.
2011 April 14, “Quotes of the Day”, inTime:"Ittook the wind out of our sails," he says. "I had no Plan B. I was a wreck."
2023, “Let the Sun Come In”, inRelentless, performed byThe Pretenders:A bunch of myths, a bunch of tales / Totake the wind out of our sails / They even say that we must die / I don't believe it, that's a lie
