2.put/throw a spanner in the worksinformalSPOIL to unexpectedly do something that prevents a plan or process from succeeding 打乱〔计划〕,破坏〔过程〕
Examples from the Corpus
spanner• He could never see an engine without laying a spanner on it.• He didn't fancy the idea of being treated with a spanner if falling ill.• To his surprise, he found the hexagonal spanner on the ledge in the garage where it was meant to be.• I reached into the door pocket and pulled out the heavywheel nut spanner.• We felt this was an improvement over the rival system of inserting a tommybar through the collet and using one spanner.• Often this gives just enough friction for the spanners to grip.• Try smearing the spannerjaws with light oil, then dipping them in finesand.• The spanner in these works is the fact that government is not a profit-makingenterprise.