There is an idiomatic phrase in English that I have heard since I was a little boy. The phrase is “throw a bucket of cold water on it.” The phrase means, “to criticize or stop something that some people are enthusiastic about.” Sometimes I have heard that phrase being used when the act has already been done. For example, someone might quip, “I would have succeeded but someone threw a bucket of cold water on it.” Sometimes the phrase is used as a kind of warning or cautionary note. Someone might say, “Go ahead and try it, but you’ll find someone will come along and throw a bucket of cold water on it.” I have heard the phrase describe the kind of “Debbie Downer” person who always takes a negative view of things. I associate the phrase with a kind of negativity. Because of the work I have done in innovation, it is a dreaded phrase. It usually means someone th...