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havoc

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cry havoc

To sound a warning or alarm of impending chaos, danger, or disaster. "Havoc" was originally a military order in the Middle Ages for soldiers to pillage and cause destruction; it features most famously in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar: "Cry 'Havoc,' and let slip the dogs of war." The governor cried havoc as the protest became increasingly violent. With the hurricane approaching the city, officials cried havoc and urged citizens to seek shelter.

See also: cry, havoc

raise havoc with someone or something

 and play havoc with someone or something

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.

See also: havoc, raise

wreak havoc (with something)

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

See also: havoc, wreak

play havoc with something

1. to cause someone to have trouble doing something Strong winds played havoc with her golf game.

2. to damage something Stormy conditions played havoc with the fishing.

See also: havoc, play

wreak havoc

to cause a lot of trouble or damage Storms wreaked havoc on both coasts of the United States.

Usage notes: often used with on: Strikes have wreaked havoc on businesses here.

See also: havoc, wreak

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.

See also: cry, havoc

play havoc

Also, raise or wreak havoc . Disrupt, damage, or destroy something, as in The wind played havoc with her hair, or The fire alarm raised havoc with the children, or The earthquake wrought havoc in the town. The noun havoc was once used as a command for invaders to begin looting and killing, but by the 1800s the term was being used for somewhat less aggressive activities. For a synonym, see play the devil with.

See also: havoc, play

cry havoc

To sound an alarm; warn.

See also: cry, havoc