scupper2

 
Pronunciation: /ˈskʌpə/

verb

[with object]
  • 1chiefly British sink (a ship or its crew) deliberately: the ship was scuppered and seriously damaged
  • 2 informal prevent from working or succeeding; thwart: plans for a bypass were scuppered by a public inquiry

Origin:

late 19th century (as military slang in the sense 'kill, especially in an ambush'): of unknown origin. The sense 'sink' dates from the 1970s