A: Why is everyone talking about this Swiss running shoe company?

B: They spiked their rival’s guns by launching a new product two months before their competitor was able to do so.

Note: This idiom means “to ruin one’s plans or prevent one’s success.” First recorded in English in the late 17th century, the expression referred literally to the practice of inserting spikes into enemy guns to prevent them from firing. For example: She was jealous of David’s progress in the company, so she spiked his guns by telling the boss that David had a drinking problem.