"grind X to a halt" = 'bring X to a standstill'

[Benjamin Zimmer]

A transitivization of an intransitive VP idiom...

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http://wonkette.com/406311/faq-how-to-communicate-very-important-opinions-to-your-congressperson
Ideology, in practice, just means that even the notion of a
large-vs.-small-government bill floating through Congress grinds
productivity in your Capitol to a halt. (Wonkette, 17 Feb 09)
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Fairly well attested in news stories, often in reference to severe
weather conditions (e.g., "Heavy snow grinds county to a halt"):

http://news.google.com/news?q=grind|grinds|grinding|ground-*-to-a-halt

And it looks like it's nothing new:

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1949 _Los Angeles Times_ 15 July 21/1 They say higher labor costs at
this time would ... thus grind industry to a halt, bringing on either
a deepening recession or another dizzy whirl on the inflation spiral.
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OED's not much help even for the usual transitive form of the idiom.


--Ben Zimmer

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