Burst someone’s bubble

There is evidence to suggest that people, and children especially, have been blowing soap bubbles for millennia. The Babylonians were making soap in 2800 BC and children blowing bubbles is depicted on a vase from the Etruscan era. By the mid-18th century, blowing bubbles was a common pastime amongst children. The figurative expression to burst someone’s bubble, meaning to spoil their fun or derail their plans, is first attested from the mid-19th century.