- spanner in the works, (throw a)
- (Create) dislocation (in plans, etc.).
A concise dictionary of English slang (2nd edition) . Brian Phythian. 2015.
spanner in the works, (throw a)
Look at other dictionaries:
throw a spanner in the works — To cause confusion or difficulty, upset plans • • • Main Entry: ↑spanner * * * throw/put/a spanner in the works british informal phrase to do something that suddenly stops a process or plan Her criticisms really thre … Useful english dictionary
throw a spanner in the works — (UK) If you throw a spanner in the works, you cause a problem that stops or slows progress on something that was going well … The small dictionary of idiomes
(throw) a spanner in the works — (throw) a ˈspanner in the works idiom (BrE) (NAmE (throw) a (ˈmonkey) ˈwrench in the works) (to cause) a delay or problem with sth that sb is planning or doing Main entry: ↑ … Useful english dictionary
throw a spanner in the works — put/throw a spanner in the works British & Australian, American to do something that prevents a plan or activity from succeeding. We were hoping to get the project started in June but the funding was withdrawn so that rather threw a spanner in… … New idioms dictionary
spanner in the works — (UK) If someone puts or throws a spanner in the works, they ruin a plan. In American English, wrench is used instead of spanner . (Dorking School Dictionary) *** If someone or something throws a spanner (or a wrench) in the works,they… … English Idioms & idiomatic expressions
throw a spanner in the works — If someone or something throws a spanner (or a wrench) in the works,they do something that causes problems and prevents the success of a plan or event. The two companies were keen to sign the agreement before anything happened to throw a… … English Idioms & idiomatic expressions
throw a spanner in the works — verb (UK) To be a problem, dilemma or obstacle, something unexpected or troublesome. Half way through the production of Macbeth, the director found that the stage was smaller than he expected … Wiktionary
put a spanner in the works — throw/put/a spanner in the works british informal phrase to do something that suddenly stops a process or plan Her criticisms really threw a spanner in the works. Thesaurus: to stop something from continuing or developingsynonym to kill a person… … Useful english dictionary
put/throw a spanner in the works — informal : to cause something to not go as planned We were ready to start the project when the bank threw a spanner in the works by denying the loan. • • • Main Entry: ↑spanner put/throw a spanner in the works see ↑spanner • • • Main Entry: ↑work … Useful english dictionary
put a spanner in the works — put/throw a spanner in the works British & Australian, American to do something that prevents a plan or activity from succeeding. We were hoping to get the project started in June but the funding was withdrawn so that rather threw a spanner in… … New idioms dictionary
