gum up

British  

verb

1. to cover, dab, or stiffen with gum

2. informal to make a mess of; bungle (often in the phrase gum up the works )

---

gum up Idioms  

1. Ruin or bungle something, as in The front office has gummed up the sales campaign thoroughly. This idiom is also put as gum up the works, as in John's changes in procedures have gummed up the works in the shipping department. [Slang; c. 1900]

---

Example Sentences

However, the Federation of Small Businesses has expressed reservations about the plan, warning that unlimited settlements "would be difficult and further gum up tribunals".

From BBC

In part, that’s because of how easy it’s become to gum up the Senate.

From Los Angeles Times

It also could take a long time for Saudi Arabia to actually take possession of the jets and the process could get gummed up in Congress or derailed by other developments.

From The Wall Street Journal

That gummed up financing and logistics for Arctic LNG 2 and stopped South Korean shipbuilders from delivering to the project.

From The Wall Street Journal

In a memo to employees, Fiddelke said he was trying to clear up “complexity” that gummed up decision-making and made it harder to deliver on ideas, according to the Journal.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• bungle