I kept quiet about my pregnancy because Cathy was getting married, and I didn't want to steal her thunder.
New idioms dictionary. 2014.
steal someone's thunder — 1. To make use of another s invention against him or her (as when John Dennis s stage thunder was used in a rival s play) 2. To rob someone of the opportunity of achieving a sensational effect by forestalling him or her • • • Main Entry: ↑steal… … Useful english dictionary
steal´er — steal «steel», verb, stole, sto|len, steal|ing, noun. –v.t. 1. to take (something) that does not belong to one; take dishonestly: »Robbers stole the money. Who steals my purse, st … Useful english dictionary
steal — ► VERB (past stole; past part. stolen) 1) take (something) without permission or legal right and without intending to return it. 2) give or take surreptitiously or without permission: I stole a look at my watch. 3) move somewhere quietly or… … English terms dictionary
steal someone's thunder — steal (someone s) thunder to do something that takes attention away from what someone else has done. I kept quiet about my pregnancy because Cathy was getting married, and I didn t want to steal her thunder … New idioms dictionary
steal someone's thunder — ► steal someone s thunder win praise or attention for oneself by pre empting someone else s attempt to impress. Main Entry: ↑steal … English terms dictionary
steal someone's thunder — If someone steals your thunder, they take the credit and praise for something you did … The small dictionary of idiomes
thunder — [thun′dər] n. [ME thuner, thunder (with unhistoric d ) < OE thunor, akin to Ger donner < IE base * (s)ten , loud rustling, deep noise > ON Thorr,THOR, Gr stenein, to moan, L tonare, to thunder] 1. the sound that follows a flash of… … English World dictionary
steal somebody's thunder — steal sb s ˈthunder idiom to get the attention, success, etc. that sb else was expecting, usually by saying or doing what they had intended to say or do Main entry: ↑stealidiom … Useful english dictionary
steal — steal1 W3S3 [sti:l] v past tense stole [stəul US stoul] past participle stolen [ˈstəulən US ˈstou ] ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(take something)¦ 2¦(use ideas)¦ 3¦(move somewhere)¦ 4 steal the show/limelight/scene 5 steal a look/glance etc 6¦(sport)¦ 7 steal a… … Dictionary of contemporary English
steal — steal1 [ stil ] (past tense stole [ stoul ] ; past participle sto|len [ stoulən ] ) verb *** 1. ) intransitive or transitive to take something that belongs to someone else without permission: jailed for three years for stealing cars steal from:… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
