spanner in the works
(chiefly, UK, idiomatic) Something that disrupts smooth operation or functioning.
Definitions
UK
#1·Apr 27, 2026UK
(chiefly, UK, idiomatic) Something that disrupts smooth operation or functioning.
The kids' involvement was unfortunately more of a spanner in the works than a helpful contribution toward Daddy's progress on the task, but he gamely pretended to be thankful anyway.
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🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang
UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
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Other words near "spanner in the works" (S)
Spanish onionSpanish practicesspankerspank outspannerspanneredspanwannedspare tyre wellsparkledogsparkling ciderspark outsparky
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