APAD: Queer someone's pitch

"to queer someone's pitch" means to interfere with someone’s plans or spoil their chances of success.

It is an informal British expression often used when someone deliberately makes it difficult for another person to achieve what they want.

The "Pitch": In the 19th century, a "pitch" referred to the specific spot where a street performer (like an acrobat or musician) or a market trader set up their business.
"Queer": In this context, it is an older British slang verb meaning to spoil, ruin, or sabotage--perhaps by a rival setting up nearby or someone causing a disturbance—thereby ruining the trader's opportunity to make money.

If you "queered" a performer's pitch, you did something to drive away their audience or make it impossible for them to work, such as setting up a noisier act nearby.

In modern usage, it is simply a way to say someone has disrupted or sabotaged a situation, often unexpectedly. 


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Learned & am smiling ;-)) Guess troublemakers r those who -最西边的岛上- 给 最西边的岛上 发送悄悄话 最西边的岛上 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 05/03/2026 postreply 09:43:34

like 2 queer others pitch? ~~ Thx 4 sharing! -最西边的岛上- 给 最西边的岛上 发送悄悄话 最西边的岛上 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 05/03/2026 postreply 10:00:19

Nice verb! phrase learned and word relearned. -7grizzly- 给 7grizzly 发送悄悄话 7grizzly 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 05/03/2026 postreply 10:23:27

"to steal someone's thunder" should be in the same basket. -7grizzly- 给 7grizzly 发送悄悄话 7grizzly 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 05/03/2026 postreply 10:24:05

heard people "stealing AI's thunder" more nowadays ;-) -最西边的岛上- 给 最西边的岛上 发送悄悄话 最西边的岛上 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 05/03/2026 postreply 10:31:10

haha. QuitGPT is gathering storm. -7grizzly- 给 7grizzly 发送悄悄话 7grizzly 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 05/03/2026 postreply 10:33:37

didn't know it b4, just checked the site, C some hope now:-) -最西边的岛上- 给 最西边的岛上 发送悄悄话 最西边的岛上 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 05/03/2026 postreply 10:49:46

Hear Hear! That's the beauty & magic of idiom & Y we r here! -最西边的岛上- 给 最西边的岛上 发送悄悄话 最西边的岛上 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 05/03/2026 postreply 10:33:59

The best way to deal with people like that is to ignore them -JoyAnna.- 给 JoyAnna. 发送悄悄话 JoyAnna. 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 05/03/2026 postreply 13:53:42

Don’t play their game. -JoyAnna.- 给 JoyAnna. 发送悄悄话 JoyAnna. 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 05/03/2026 postreply 13:54:09

Focus on your own path. -JoyAnna.- 给 JoyAnna. 发送悄悄话 JoyAnna. 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 05/03/2026 postreply 13:54:41

a wise idea -zhouqichan- 给 zhouqichan 发送悄悄话 zhouqichan 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 05/03/2026 postreply 20:52:35

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