Home US English put a crimp in

Definition of put a crimp in in English:

put a crimp in

phrase

informal North American

  • Have an adverse effect on.

    • ‘well, that puts a crimp in my theory’
    • ‘While the long days give you plenty of opportunity to roam, high prices can put a crimp in the ol’ travel budget.’
    • ‘Charging for online reading would surely put a crimp in political blogging since so much of what we do feeds off of stories in the press.’
    • ‘California's energy shortage and the resulting strain on Washington's power supply are putting a crimp in dairy producers' already-small profit margins.’
    • ‘By taking the proper precautions and teaching them to your child, you can prevent these uncomfortable skin infections from putting a crimp in your active child's lifestyle.’
    • ‘All in all, more than half of our contractors found that they had basically outgrown their trailer capacity before they'd planned to, putting a crimp in operations.’
    • ‘Tobacco also puts a crimp in your campaign against blood fats.’
    • ‘See, I'm planning on taking her out to a very expensive café every afternoon after school to celebrate our relationship, so that would definitely put a crimp in my plans.’
    • ‘In addition to the modest increase in demand, higher freight costs could put a crimp in cement imports, which account for about one-fifth of the market.’
    • ‘Hopefully the delay won't put a crimp in the supply.’
    • ‘Williams' one worry is that budget politics may put a crimp in the market down the road, especially if there is a prolonged economic recession.’