put the skids under

Idioms  

1. 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]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

put the skids under

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

They’ve decided to put the skids under Grant Adams and his gang down in the Valley, and the other day they ran into a snag.

From In the Heart of a Fool by William Allen White