VOC Idiom

havoc strikes

problems happen, crises occur suddenly Farmers plant their crops, and havoc strikes in hailstones.

play havoc with

interfere with, cause sudden changes The wind played havoc with the ball, causing it to rise or fall.

wreak havoc

damage, destroy, lay waste, trash the place If the workers get mad, they'll wreak havoc in the warehouse. They'll wreck the place.

wreak havoc with

Idiom(s): wreak havoc with sth

Theme: RUIN

to cause a lot of trouble with something; to ruin or damage something.
• Your attitude will wreak havoc with my project.
• The weather wreaked havoc with our picnic plans.

raise havoc with

Idiom(s): raise havoc with someone or something AND play havoc with someone or something

Theme: INCITE

to create confusion or disruption for or among someone or something.
• Your announcement raised havoc with the students.
• I didn't mean to play havoc with them.

play the devil's advocate

Idiom(s): play (the) devil's advocate

Theme: ARGUMENT

to put forward arguments against or objections to a proposition—which one may actually agree with—purely to test the validity of the proposition. (The devil's advocate was given the role of opposing the canonization of a saint in the medieval Church in order to prove that the grounds for canonization were sound.)
• I agree with your plan. I'm just playing the devils advocate so you'll know-what the opposition will say.
• Mary offered to play devils advocate and argue against our case so that we would find out any flaws in it.

Devil's advocate

If someone plays Devil's advocate in an argument, they adopt a position they don't believe in just for the sake of the argument

Play havoc

Playing havoc with something is creating disorder and confusion; computer viruses can play havoc with your programs.

raise havoc|havoc|play|play havoc|play havoc with|

v. phr. To cause destruction; ruin; injure badly. The storm played havoc with the apple orchard. When Ralph was arrested for stealing the car, it played havoc with his plans for going to college. When Mr. White poisoned the cat, it played havoc with his reputation in the neighborhood.

wreak havoc with|wreak|wreak havoc

v. phr. To cause damage; ruin something. His rebellious attitude is bound to wreak havoc at the company.

cry havoc

cry havoc
Sound an alarm or warning, as in In his sermon the pastor cried havoc to the congregation's biases against gays. The noun havoc was once a command for invaders to begin looting and killing the defenders' town. Shakespeare so used it in Julius Caesar (3:1): “Cry 'Havoc' and let slip the dogs of war.” By the 19th century the phrase had acquired its present meaning.

havoc

havoc
see cry havoc; play havoc.

raise havoc

raise havoc
see play havoc.