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Drive a coach and horses through something

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Visual ImageryPlay
Imagine literally driving a large vehicle through a structure. It's about creating big, obvious disruptions. SlideThe new evidence completely drove a coach and horses through the old theory.
LampPro Tip 2/3
Not LiteralPlay
It's a figure of speech, not about driving. It means to ruin or disrupt something with force. SlideThe whistleblower's report drove a coach and horses through the company's reputation.
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British OriginsPlay
This phrase is chiefly British English, so it might be unfamiliar in American or other varieties of English. SlideHe drove a coach and horses through convention by wearing jeans to the formal dinner.