What do you say when you want to express that the only hope is gone?

Question

I want to use the phase "ray of hope". But I'm talking of the situation when earlier it was there but not anymore. Do I say "killed the only ray of hope" or "doused the only ray of hope" or "take away the only ray of hope" or "the only ray of hope was gone/lost/killed/doused/taken away"? What is the correct verb to express loss of hope?

Answer 1

I would say your last ray of hope has been extinguished.

Answer 2

The normal expression is "took away the last ray of hope." You can play off that by replacing "take away" with any equivalent expression, as Robusto indicates with "extinguished."

Thus, "snuffed out," "killed," "removed," etc., all possible.

Caution - "shot down" would lead to a mixed metaphor.

Answer 3

That left us with no more light at the end of the tunnel.

Answer 4

You might want to say that your last ray of hope has been snuffed out.

Answer 5

There is :

My only ray of hope has dimmed.

Very "light-related."