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blow the whistle on

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blow the whistle on somebody/something

to tell someone in authority about something bad that is happening so that it can be stopped He was dismissed when he tried to blow the whistle on the safety problems at the factory. The kids are encouraged to blow the whistle on any of their friends who are using drugs.

See also: blow, on, whistle

blow the whistle on

1. Expose corruption or other wrongdoing, as in The President's speech blew the whistle on the opposition's leaking information. [Colloquial; 1930s]

2. Put a stop to, as in The registry decided to blow the whistle on new vanity plates. The term originally alluded to ending an activity (such as factory work) with the blast of a whistle. [Late 1800s]

See also: blow, on, whistle