blow the whistle on

1. Expose corruption or other wrongdoing, as in The President's speech blew the whistle on the opposition's leaking information . [ Colloquial ; 1930s]

2. Put a stop to, as in The registry decided to blow the whistle on new vanity plates . The term originally alluded to ending an activity (such as factory work) with the blast of a whistle. [Late 1800s]

Related Words

• adjourn
• arrest
• bar
• block
• break off
• cease
• curb
• deter
• end
• hamper
• impede
• interrupt
• stall
• stem
• stop
• suspend
• terminate