put/throw a spanner in the works
idiom
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.
Examples of put/throw a spanner in the works in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Then episode seven does kind of throw a spanner in the works because finally you are introduced to what Mark had on the outside world, which feels meaningful too.
—
Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 21 Mar. 2025
Join 11 others in the comments View Comments But Thursday’s scathing commentary from a newspaper closely aligned with the ruling Communist Party could throw a spanner in the works.
—Juliana Liu, CNN, 14 Mar. 2025
Yet present-day consumer usage appears set to throw a spanner in the works.
—IEEE Spectrum, 9 Feb. 2025
But the injuries to Giorgio Scalvini and Gianluca Scamacca, and a stand-off between the club and Teun Koopmeiners, who wants to force a move to Juventus, throw a spanner in the works.
—James Horncastle, The Athletic, 14 Aug. 2024
McCarthy, for instance, largely used his perch to put a spanner in the works of the legislative process while pushing the ridiculous investigations favored by right-wing media and the party’s most radical members.
—Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 24 Oct. 2023
There is a strong suspicion that nicotine can throw a spanner in the works throughout this time — a particular concern given the growing popularity of vaping among young people.
—Anthony King, Scientific American, 13 June 2023
Coronavirus did throw a spanner in the works: MedFin ceased operations in the first week of March as outpatient departments and operation theaters shut.
—Ananya Bhattacharya, Quartz India, 9 Aug. 2020
However, a new paper just published in PLoS ONE could throw a spanner in the works of the thriving Google Books research paradigm.
—Neuroskeptic, Discover Magazine, 10 Oct. 2015
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Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 21 Mar. 2025
Join 11 others in the comments View Comments But Thursday’s scathing commentary from a newspaper closely aligned with the ruling Communist Party could throw a spanner in the works.
—Juliana Liu, CNN, 14 Mar. 2025
Yet present-day consumer usage appears set to throw a spanner in the works.
—IEEE Spectrum, 9 Feb. 2025
But the injuries to Giorgio Scalvini and Gianluca Scamacca, and a stand-off between the club and Teun Koopmeiners, who wants to force a move to Juventus, throw a spanner in the works.
—James Horncastle, The Athletic, 14 Aug. 2024
McCarthy, for instance, largely used his perch to put a spanner in the works of the legislative process while pushing the ridiculous investigations favored by right-wing media and the party’s most radical members.
—Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 24 Oct. 2023
There is a strong suspicion that nicotine can throw a spanner in the works throughout this time — a particular concern given the growing popularity of vaping among young people.
—Anthony King, Scientific American, 13 June 2023
Coronavirus did throw a spanner in the works: MedFin ceased operations in the first week of March as outpatient departments and operation theaters shut.
—Ananya Bhattacharya, Quartz India, 9 Aug. 2020
However, a new paper just published in PLoS ONE could throw a spanner in the works of the thriving Google Books research paradigm.
—Neuroskeptic, Discover Magazine, 10 Oct. 2015
Cite this Entry
“Put/throw a spanner in the works.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/put%2Fthrow%20a%20spanner%20in%20the%20works. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
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