run afoul of
Slang Dictionary

run definition


  1. n.
    a session or period of time spent doing something; a period of time when something happens. : The market had a good run today.
  2. tv.
    to transport contraband, alcohol, or drugs. : Harry the Horse used to run booze during prohibition.
  3. n.
    an act of transporting contraband. : Four soldiers were killed during a run.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

run afoul of

Also, run foul of. Come into conflict with, as in If you keep parking illegally you'll run afoul of the police. This expression originated in the late 1600s, when it was applied to a vessel colliding or becoming entangled with another vessel, but at the same time it was transferred to non-nautical usage. Both senses remain current.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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