throw a monkey wrench into



throw a monkey wrench into something

to cause something to fail We keep trying to get together, but her crazy schedule keeps throwing a monkey wrench into our plans.
See also: monkey, throw, wrench

throw a monkey wrench into

Sabotage or frustrate a project or plans, as in The boss threw a monkey wrench into our plans when he said we'd have to work Saturday. This transfer of industrial sabotage-that is, throwing a tool inside machinery-to other subjects dates from the early 1900s.
See also: monkey, throw, wrench

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Mehmut-Uyghur
Dominykas-Lithuanian
Esmaraldaez-mə-RAHL-dəEnglish (Rare)
Habibullah-Arabic
Edison['edisn]
Suresh-Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Nepali