To throw a spanner in the works

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
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Hi,
When I meet someone I’ve never seen or heard before, I want to get to know that person, more importantly how they feel about me. When the relationship between me and them goes well and someone throws a spanner in the works, because they ‘know’ something about their past - whatever it was they may have done wrong in a part of their lives that is over- I am usually very disappointed about the people who throw the spanner. How do you say this entire paragraph in English more simly? By the way, this often happens when people gossip about the individual. I don’t know if ‘to throw a spanner in the works’ is the correct expression.

@Arinker, @Torsten, @Anglophile, @NearlyNapping, @Alan.

Thanks in advance.

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Yes, ‘to throw a spanner in the works’ and 'to put a spoke in the wheel’ have the same meaning. The idiom means to interfere, to foil, to upset etc.

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Thanks again, Anglophile.

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In AmE, someone might throw a monkey wrench into your plans, but you probably wouldn’t use that phrase for a relationship.

You would probably be very disappointed in someone who tries to torpedo a relationship by spreading malicious gossip.

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Someone might also sabotage your plans by putting a stick in the spokes.

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Thank you Arinker, but what i’ve also heard is: ‘We would like you to throw a ‘ransome’ into the whole thing.’ I don’t know if you’ve ever heard it, but would you please be so kind as so relieve me of that ‘burden’.

Thanks in advance.

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I’ve never heard of this. Do you have a specific source?

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I have not heard this either.

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It’s a line in ‘Dynasty, the Reunion’. However, I don’t know if it’s on the internet.

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Is “ransom” literal by chance? Like is the person suggesting that they literally demand a ransom?

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No, I don’t think so.

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I see it’s on YouTube. Do you know about when the quote occurs?

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Almost at the end of the second part, when Jeremy Van Dorn lies in bed with Alexis. Thank you for taking the time to look this up for me. It’s really nice of you.

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At 49 minutes I heard “throw a wrench into the whole thing” and “put the screws to us”.

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Here is the transcript:

Alexis: Just what are they expecting me to do Jeremy dear?

Jeremy: To go down to Washington and throw a wrench into the whole thing. Your son might just put his screws on us – you better be there.

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Thank you for looking this up for me. You’re so kind.

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So, Torsten, you’ve been watching a bit of ‘Dynasty’, how very kind to look that up for me. I don’t have to ask what 'to throw a wrench into the whole thing ’ means. It’s clear to me that Alexis has to do something bad again to disrupt Blake’s hearing in Washington. I don’t know how I got to ‘ransom’.

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