- gum up the works
- to prevent a machine or system from operating correctly.
In bad weather, twice as many people use their cars on the road, which really gums up the works.
New idioms dictionary. 2014.
gum up the works
Look at other dictionaries:
gum up the works — (informal) To make (eg a machine or scheme) unworkable • • • Main Entry: ↑gum … Useful english dictionary
gum up something — gum up (something) to cause something to stop working well. Don t send any attachments or pictures, because they tend to gum up my computer. Related vocabulary: gum up the works Etymology: based on the idea of getting gum (= a sticky substance)… … New idioms dictionary
gum up — (something) to cause something to stop working well. Don t send any attachments or pictures, because they tend to gum up my computer. Related vocabulary: gum up the works Etymology: based on the idea of getting gum (= a sticky substance) in a… … New idioms dictionary
gum up — verb stick together as if with gum the inside of the pipe has gummed up • Hypernyms: ↑clog, ↑choke off, ↑clog up, ↑back up, ↑congest, ↑choke, ↑foul … Useful english dictionary
gum — 1. n. & v. n. 1 a a viscous secretion of some trees and shrubs that hardens on drying but is soluble in water (cf. RESIN). b an adhesive substance made from this. 2 US chewing gum. 3 = GUMDROP. 4 = gum arabic. 5 = gum tree. 6 a secretion… … Useful english dictionary
gum — gum1 gumless, adj. gumlike, adj. /gum/, n., v., gummed, gumming. n. 1. any of various viscid, amorphous exudations from plants, hardening on exposure to air and soluble in or forming a viscid mass with water. 2. any of various similar exudations … Universalium
gum — I. /gʌm / (say gum) noun 1. any of various viscid, amorphous exudations from plants, hardening on exposure to air, and soluble in, or forming a viscid mass with, water. 2. any of various similar exudations, such as resin, kino gum, etc. 3. a… …
gum — I. noun Etymology: Middle English gome, from Old English gōma palate; akin to Old High German guomo palate, and perhaps to Greek chaos abyss Date: before 12th century the tissue that surrounds the necks of teeth and covers the alveolar parts of… … New Collegiate Dictionary
gum — gum1 [ gʌm ] noun * ▸ 1 part of mouth ▸ 2 chewing gum ▸ 3 substance from trees ▸ 4 eucalyptus tree ▸ 5 type of glue ▸ + PHRASES 1. ) count the firm pink flesh in your mouth that your teeth are attached to: Brushing regularly keeps your gums… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
gum up — phrasal verb [transitive] Word forms gum up : present tense I/you/we/they gum up he/she/it gums up present participle gumming up past tense gummed up past participle gummed up informal 1) to cause things to be stuck together or covered in a… … English dictionary
