FrenchJeter un froid
Meaning: To make an atmosphere suddenly awkward or tense, usually with a tactless remark or unwelcome news.
Literally: To throw a cold
Example: “Sa blague sur les licenciements a jeté un froid pendant le pot de départ.” — His joke about the layoffs cast a pall over the farewell drinks.
English equivalent: Cast a pall over
Equivalents in other languages
English: cast a pall over
Origin: French has long used froid for a coolness between people — "être en froid avec quelqu'un" is to be on bad terms. "Jeter un froid" applies the same metaphor to a whole room: a remark lands and the warmth of the conversation drops at once, as if a draft had swept through. The expression is well established in 19th-century French and remains the standard way to describe a conversation-stopping blunder.
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