ENGLISH
REFERENCE

turd in the punchbowl

idiom
Meaning

Something that ruins or spoils everything else; a nuisance or problem; an unpleasant or disagreeable detail.


Examples
SIMPLE

His constant complaining is a real turd in the punchbowl.

CONTEXTUAL

The party was going well until he arrived and acted like a turd in the punchbowl, ruining the mood for everyone.

COMPLEX

While the team celebrated their successful project launch, the sudden arrival of the audit notice acted as a turd in the punchbowl, casting a shadow over their achievement.

Anchors to
Related idioms2entries
  1. 01

    polish a turd

    To work on a time-consuming and ultimately pointless or impossible task; to try to perfect what is inherently bad.

  2. 02

    you can't polish a turd

    Something inherently unfavourable or unpleasant cannot be improved.

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