Word.ws English Dictionary

throw a spanner into the works

throw a spanner into the works is the alternative form of throw a spanner in the works.

Meaning of throw a spanner in the works

Verb

throw a spanner in the works (third-person singular simple present throws a spanner in the works, present participle throwing a spanner in the works, simple past threw a spanner in the works, past participle thrown a spanner in the works)

  1. (UK, idiomatic) To introduce a problem, dilemma or obstacle, something unexpected or troublesome.
    • Halfway through the production of Macbeth, the director found that the stage was smaller than he had expected. This really threw a spanner in the works.

Forms of throw a spanner into the works

third-person singular presentthrows a spanner into the works
present participlethrowing a spanner into the works
pastthrew a spanner into the works
past participlethrown a spanner into the works

Questions about throw a spanner into the works

What is throw a spanner into the works the alternative form of?
Throw a spanner into the works is the alternative form of throw a spanner in the works.

Words near throw a spanner into the works in the dictionary

  1. throw a monkey wrench in the works
  2. throw a monkey wrench into the works
  3. throw a party
  4. throw a sickie
  5. throw a spanner in the works
  6. throw a spanner into the works
  7. throw a sprat to catch a mackerel
  8. throw a tantrum
  9. throw a wet blanket on
  10. throw a wobbly
  11. throw a wrench in

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: throw a spanner into the works (page history and authors); throw a spanner in the works (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “throw a spanner into the works.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/throw_a_spanner_into_the_works. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.