wrecker's ball

American  

Or wrecking ball

noun

1. a heavy metal ball swung on a cable from a crane and used in demolition work.

---

Etymology

Origin of wrecker's ball

An Americanism dating back to 1965–70

Example Sentences

Many noteworthy buildings fell to the wrecker’s ball, but there are several architectural gems here.

From Washington Post • Nov. 5, 2021

In some parts of the city, there are still buildings waiting for either the repairer’s scaffold or the wrecker’s ball.

From Slate • Feb. 21, 2021

Homs may be an extreme case, but the reality is that vast stretches of Syria are now fit only for the wrecker’s ball.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 5, 2016

Indeed, all its peers have vanished, too, although those were lost to the wrecker’s ball.

From New York Times • Feb. 11, 2011

The museum is located in the main room of an old schoolhouse that the local historical society saved from the wrecker's ball by having it declared an historical landmark.

From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg