A buzzkill is someone or something that ruins the fun or euphoria of a party or event. It can be intentional, like parents crashing a teenager’s party, or unintentional, like a bartender asking customers to leave. The term gained popularity in the 1990s and is used interchangeably with “sour a buzz.”
For every party, there can be an equal and opposite killjoy. For every ointment, there is often a fly. Such a killjoy or spoiler is known in popular parlance as a buzzkill or sometimes as a buzz kill. The arrival of local law enforcement could be seen as buzzkill for a party, or the raising of bright lights in the home could be buzzkill for concert-goers. Whenever a harsh reality interrupts a person’s euphoria or “buzz,” it could be viewed as complete and utter murder.
There are few hard and fast rules regarding buzzkills. Some people find that they deliberately pose as party poopers for others, as is the case with parents crashing a teenager’s illicit party. Others may not intend to spoil another person’s buzz or altered state of reality, but they have their own obligations to fulfill, much like a bartender asking customers to vacate the premises after closing time. While the bartender can be seen as a buzzkill, nothing lasts forever and a certain reality jolt may be in order.
Slang usage of the word buzz to describe a natural or chemically induced euphoria can be traced back several decades, but the derogatory term buzzkill appears to have gained popularity in the 1990s. The standard admonishment at parties and other events was never to be a pastime for others. Circumstances like curfews or neighborhood grievances could sometimes act as a natural spoiljoy for the parties, but individual attendees were strongly urged to go with the flow and not become a buzzkill or a spoiljoy for others.
Sometimes the terms being a buzzkill and sour a buzz are used interchangeably. When a person has reached a certain level of euphoria, mostly due to alcohol or marijuana consumption, they tend to want to maintain that feeling for as long as possible. Any disruption of that altered state of reality won’t be received very well, and the switch could very well earn the dubious title of buzzkill. Sometimes circumstances trump personal indulgences, however, and there are worse names to call than a buzzkill.
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