put the skids under

Idioms

Bring about the failure or defeat of, as in It was lack of funds that put the skids under the new senior center. The skids here are runners or rollers on which a heavy object may be moved. [Colloquial; early 1900s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It was a handy response to the virtuoso performance of Harlequins' Marcus Smith - his rival for the Red Rose spot - which put the skids under Sale.

From BBC • Dec. 2, 2023

And it certainly won't put the skids under Farrell.

From BBC • Nov. 17, 2022

Then he landed the equaliser that put the skids under Ghana before temporarily negating Holland's obvious superiority in Cape Town with his left-foot drive.

From The Guardian • Jul. 7, 2010

Clayton Knight, illustrator of aviation stories: "The sooner we can find something to put the skids under it the better."

From Time Magazine Archive

The thing to do is to put the skids under Joey and his lady love before they know you know it.

From Cappy Ricks Retires by Kyne, Peter B. (Peter Bernard)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023