Scuppered

In the sense of wrecked or ruined, e.g. ‘my plans were scuppered’ dates from the late 19th/early 20th century and derives from earlier military slang that meant killed, massacred or done for, which the OED says is of unknown origin but was first cited c. 1885. According to the OED, this sense of scuppered has nothing to do with the scuppers or scupper holes, the openings on either side of a ship’s deck or the drains or holes on buildings, through which water can drain. The etymology for this meaning of scupper is much older and dates from the 1500s, from the Anglo-French escopir (modern French écopir) meaning to spew or spit. Thus, when a ship is scuppered i.e. deliberately sunk by letting in water, it is the first meaning that is being used rather than the second.