Wrapped around the axle

The extant definitions are good; however, no one, so far, has mentioned the origin of the phrase. Here is is, based on a number of years associating with over the road drivers – and a couple of summers running moonshine down the mountains of North Carolina. In the mid-20th century, police would put two rubber hoses, connected to a sensor, across a highway. Speeders triggered the sensor based on how quickly they crossed both hoses. Truckers, often trying to make a living despite the regulations on speed, hated what they called whammys. A clever trucker knew that if he applied the trailer's brakes at the right moment and then released them, he could rip the hoses from the roadway and "wrap them around the axle" of the tractor-trailer.

"I popped that whammy and wrapped around the axle – nearly ripped the box out'a that smokey's front seat."

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