… To put a spoke in the wheel?

This idiom means ‘to obstruct or destroy a plan or action’. Curiously, two centuries ago it was understood by some as meaning ‘to provide help’ – and indeed, what is wrong with supplying a spoke for a wheel? Surely wheels require spokes – so why would putting one in cause problems?

The phrase has been known in English since at least the end of the 16th century. Its source is believed to be the Dutch een spaak in’t wiel steken, the equivalent of the English phrase with the same meaning, though the route from Dutch to English has not been traced. (Out of interest, another related phrase recorded in the OED is ‘to put in one’s spoke’ – to give advice.)

An explanation offered as early as 1854 suggested that the ‘spoke’ in this idiom is not a radial rod of a wheel but a bar placed between the spokes at right angles in order to prevent the wheel from turning – a rude way of locking it. This explanation makes sense, and perhaps is true.

As a postscript, consider the enigmatic word ‘spokesman’ (‘speakman’ also existed). Under no circumstances could anyone coin spoke-sman from the past tense of speak. But in the 16th century, ‘spoke’ was associated with help and assistance (as in ‘I’ll give you a spoke’, cited by an American speaker), so ‘spokesman’ aligns with ‘marksman’, ‘craftsman’ and the rest. In this case, the association with speak is late.