be ruled out of court

be ruled out of court

To be thwarted by unforeseen circumstances. Primarily heard in UK. My hopes of getting a place of my own were ruled out of court when I lost my job. A: "I thought you were going to try out for the basketball team this year." B: "I wanted to, but that was ruled out of court when I broke my foot." I can't continue my research project—that's been ruled out of court by the massive reduction in funding.

See also: court, of, out, rule

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

be ruled out of court

mainly BRITISH

If something that you want to do is ruled out of court, circumstances make it impossible for you to do it. It was hoping to start medical training that year but then I had the accident and it was ruled out of court.

See also: court, of, out, rule

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012