English · Idiom Attested

down tools

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Stop work often as an industrial action.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

ngừng làm việc thường như một hành động công nghiệp

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Where it’s used: Used Widespread English

Sources & notes

Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Figurative class: Euphemism (PIE-English corpus, CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31).

Common questions

What does “down tools” mean?

Stop work often as an industrial action.

Is “down tools” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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