wrecking ball
noun phrase

a large, heavy metal ball that is swung against a building in order to knock it down because it is no longer needed.

Cambridge Dictionary

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ORIGIN

Middle English (as a legal term denoting wreckage washed ashore): from Anglo-Norman French wrec, from the base of Old Norse reka ‘to drive’; related to wreak and the German Wrack.

Wreck is commonly be used in three ways:


- the destruction of a ship at sea; a shipwreck - “His voyage ended in the wreck of his ship off Greece"



- something, especially a vehicle or building, that has been badly damaged or destroyed - “the wreck of a stolen car"



- a person whose physical or mental health or strength has failed - “the scandal left the family emotional wrecks"

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A 2013 pop song, with almost one billion views, anchored WRECKING BALL firmly in the language

I came in like a wrecking ball
Yeah, I just closed my eyes and swung
Left me crouching in a blaze and fall
All you ever did was break me
Yeah, you, you wreck me
Yeah, you, you wreck me

Miley Cyrus from the album: Bangerz

listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My2FRPA3Gf8

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Practice OWAD in a conversation today
Say something like:

“Hey Erich. Did you see the cover of The Economist this week? Donald Trump is depicted riding on a WRECKING BALL“ click here: https://goo.gl/jtiFRR