cold shower
A surprisingly chilly reception, reaction, or response, as in The small voter turnout was a cold shower to the League of Women Voters. The allusion in this term is to the unexpected and not always pleasant effect of an ice-cold shower. [Second half of 1900s]
Words nearby cold shower
cold pack,
cold patch,
cold pole,
cold rubber,
cold shoulder,
cold shower,
cold snap,
cold sore,
cold spot,
cold stage,
cold start