English · Idiom Candidate

throw a spanner in the works

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Meaning · English

To cause problems or disrupt plans

Literally: put a spanner in machinery

Where it’s used: Used Widespread English

Examples

The news of the budget cut threw a spanner in the works of the project

AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)

Sources & notes

Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.

Equivalents & related

Near equivalent thọc gậy bánh xe to put a spoke in someone's wheel; to throw a spanner in the works Tiếng Việt Near equivalent in the works being planned or developed English · via thọc gậy bánh xe Near equivalent spanner in the works Something that causes problems or disrupts plans English · via thọc gậy bánh xe

Lighter cards are two steps away in the meaning graph — equivalents of equivalents, reached via the entry shown on the card.

Common questions

What does “throw a spanner in the works” mean?

To cause problems or disrupt plans Literally: put a spanner in machinery

Is “throw a spanner in the works” formal or informal?

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

What is the closest equivalent?

“thọc gậy bánh xe” (Tiếng Việt) — near equivalent.