scotch the plan
eliminate the plan
TRANSLATION
to scotch sth. [put an end to] = einer Sache den Boden entziehen [Gerücht, Darstellung]; zunichtemachen [Plan]; im Keim ersticken, abwürgen
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
“She agreed to flee with him to Europe, and didn't question him when he SCOTCHED THE PLAN.”
Walter Kirn - True Crime
Did you
know?
scotch
verb
- if you scotch a rumour, plan, or idea, you put an end to it before it can develop any further.
Collins English Dictionary
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ORIGIN
Early 17th century (as a noun): of unknown origin; perhaps related to skate.
The sense 'render temporarily harmless' is based on a passage in Shakespeare's Macbeth: ‘We have scotch'd the snake, not kill'd it’; the sense 'put an end to' (early 19th century) results from the influence on this of the notion of wedging or blocking something so as to render it inoperative.
Oxford Dictionaries
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SYNONYMS
abandon, ditch, drop, kiss goodbye, let go, pull out, quit, stop, put an end to
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Practice OWAD in a conversation today. Say something like:
“I think we should get more information from finance before deciding to SCOTCH the plan.”
