What it means
If your plans get scuppered, they're properly wrecked or ruined, usually in a way that feels a bit final. It's very British and has that sunk-for-good flavour, so people use it for trips, deals, nights out, or any scheme that's gone straight down the drain.
Usage examples
"Our whole hiking trip got scuppered by the rail strike, three months of planning sunk by one announcement."
"The whole plan was scuppered when the venue cancelled at the last minute."
"We were meant to have a barbecue, but the rain absolutely scuppered it."
"Thought I'd sorted the weekend, then Mum needed the car and that scuppered the whole thing."
"We'd finally got everyone free for Friday, then Jen tested positive and the whole night was scuppered."
Where it comes from
It’s got real nautical roots. A scupper is the drainage opening on a ship, and by the late 19th century to scupper had picked up the sense of sinking, wrecking, or dooming something. From there it sailed neatly into everyday British English for plans that get properly ruined.
Other ways to say it
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