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 )

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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]

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Example Sentences

That is gumming up private-equity’s tried-and-true formula of raising money from investors to buy companies, then flipping them for a profit a few years later.

From The Wall Street Journal

But they are not meeting the lofty goals set by the administration, and everything that gums up the process slows them down.

From Salon

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

Related Words

• bungle