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.
throw a monkey wrench into
| Idioms: throw a monkey wrench into |
Learn More
 | monkey (Idiom) |
| The Moment of Truth: The F.B.I. (TV Episode) (1969 TV Episode) |
| The Last Drop (Rock Band, 2000s) |
 | Why is it called a monkey wrench? Read answer... |
| Who uses a monkey wrench? Read answer... |
| What simple machine is the monkey wrench? Read answer... |
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Copyrights:
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 | Idioms. The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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Mentioned in
- monkey (Idiom)
- The Moment of Truth: The F.B.I. (TV Episode) (1969 TV Episode)
- The Last Drop (Rock Band, 2000s)
- Simpatico (1997 Album by D:A:D)
