throw a monkey wrench into
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Sabotage or frustrate a project or plans, as in The boss threw a monkey wrench into our plans when he said we'd have to work Saturday. This transfer of industrial sabotage—that is, throwing a tool inside machinery—to other subjects dates from the early 1900s.
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Words nearby throw a monkey wrench into
throve, throw, throw about, throw a curve, throw a fit, throw a monkey wrench into, throw a party, throw a punch, throwaway, throwback, throw caution to the winds
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
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