cast a pall upon, to

cast a pall upon, to

To spread gloom. A pall was a cloth or cloak thrown over a coffin. By the eighteenth century the term had been transferred to spiritual darkness (“By this dark Pall thrown o’er the silent world,” Edward Young, Night Thoughts, 1742).
See also: cast, pall
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • give a wide berth to, to
  • ladies'/lady's man
  • last-ditch defense/effort
  • no spring chicken, (she's)
  • coffin varnish
  • varnish
  • all in the/a day's work
  • take the cloth
  • cut (one's) coat to suit (one's) cloth
  • in cloth