scotch a plan
verb

- if you scotch a rumour, plan, or idea, you put an end to it before it can develop any further

Collins Dictionary

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PHRASE ORIGIN

The verb "scotch" originally meant "to cut with narrow incisions" or "to score" and was derived from Anglo-Norman French escocher meaning "to notch, to cut" (commonly used to describe making cuts or notches in wood or metal)

The term gained prominence through Shakespeare's Macbeth (1606): “We have scotched the snake, not killed it" (here, scotch meant to wound but not fatally).

By the 18th century, scotch began to mean "to put an end to" and the meaning shifted from "wounding" to "definitively stopping"

Now, scotch primarily means "to put an end to" or "to decisively terminate" and is often used in business and political contexts. The term's evolution from physical cutting to metaphorical termination is a classic example of how concrete words often develop abstract meanings over time.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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WISE WORDS

"Sometimes we need to stop watering dead flowers." (Unknown)

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IDIOMS

- Axe it = to eliminate or terminate abruptly

- Blow the whistle on = to force something to stop

- Call it quits = to decide to stop an activity

- Deep six it = to dispose of or terminate permanently

- Nip it in the bud = to stop something before it develops

- Pull the curtain on = to bring to an end (often used for shows/events)

- Pull the plug = to stop something abruptly

- Put it on ice = to postpone or suspend indefinitely

- Throw in the towel = to give up or abandon

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SMUGGLE OWAD into a conversation today, say something like:

“Let’s please not SCOTCH the distillery manager’s plans for a whisky-flavoured toothpaste,... this would be hilarious!"

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