spoilsport

See also: spoil-sport

English

WOTD – 2 September 2008

Alternative forms

• spoil-sport (dated)

Etymology

From the verbal expression spoil sport (“ruin the amusement”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈspɔɪl.spɔːt/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈspɔɪl.spɔɹt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)t

Noun

spoilsport (plural spoilsports)

1. Someone who puts an end to others' fun, especially harmless fun.
   • 1908, Edward Morgan Forster, A Room with a View, Chapter XIV:

     I know I am a sad spoilsport, but it would make me wretched.

   • 1912, George Bernard Shaw, Androcles and the Lion, Act II:

     He looks a spoilsport. There are men in whose presence it is impossible to have any fun: […]

Synonyms

• killjoy, party pooper; see also Thesaurus:spoilsport

Adjective

spoilsport (comparative more spoilsport, superlative most spoilsport)

1. Like a spoilsport.
   • 2019 September 10, Phil McNulty, “'England horribly fallible in defence' against Kosovo in Euro 2020 qualifying”, in BBC Sport‎^[1]:

     It may seem somewhat spoilsport to focus in on this negative after another important victory but to ignore it would be delusion. Southgate will not be letting it escape his attention.

Translations

someone who puts an end to harmless fun

• Catalan: aixafaguitarres (ca) c
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 潑冷水的人／泼冷水的人 (zh) (pōlěngshuǐ de rén), 掃興的人／扫兴的人 (zh) (sǎoxìng de rén), 煞風景的人／煞风景的人 (zh) (shāfēngjǐng de rén)

• Danish: lyseslukker n
• Dutch: pretbederver (nl) m, spelbreker (nl) m, spelbederver (nl) m
• Estonian: tujurikkuja
• Faroese: gleðidrepari m
• Finnish: ilonpilaaja (fi)
• French: rabat-joie (fr) m, trouble-fête (fr) m
• Georgian: აბეზარა (abezara)
• German: Spielverderber (de) m, Spielverderberin (de) f, Spaßverderber m, Spaßverderberin f, Spaßbremse (de) f
• Hebrew: מַשְׁבִּית שְׂמָחוֹת‎ m (mashbít smaẖót)
• Icelandic: gleðispillir m
• Irish: seargánach m, cnádánaí m
• Italian: guastafeste (it) m
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: gledesdreper m, festbrems (no) m

  Nynorsk: gledesdrepar

• Plautdietsch: Spellvedoawa m
• Polish: złośliwiec m
• Portuguese: estraga-prazeres (pt) m or f
• Russian: кайфоло́м (ru) m (kajfolóm) кайфоло́мка f (kajfolómka) (slang), обло́мщик (ru) m (oblómščik), обло́мщица (ru) f (oblómščica) (slang), зану́да (ru) m or f (zanúda), брюзга́ (ru) m or f (brjuzgá), ны́тик (ru) m (nýtik)
• Serbo-Croatian: partibrejker m

  Cyrillic: квариигра

  Roman: kvariigra

• Spanish: cortarrollos m or f, aguafiestas (es) f or m
• Swedish: glädjedödare (sv) c
• Turkish: mızıkçı (tr), oyunbozan (tr)
• Walloon: rabadjoye (wa) m or f
• Welsh: surbwch (cy) m, lladdwr hwyl m