If someone nobbles a racehorse, they deliberately harm it, often using drugs, in order to prevent it from winning a race. the drug used to nobble two horses at Doncaster
If someone nobbles your plans or chances of succeeding, they prevent you from achieving what you want. His opportunity to re-establish himself had been nobbled by the manager's tactics
deprive of by deceit; "He swindled me out of my inheritance"; "She defrauded the customers who trusted her"; "the cashier gypped me when he gave me too little change"
If someone nobbles an important group of people such as a committee, they offer them money or threaten them in order to make them do something. The trial was stopped before Christmas after allegations of attempts to nobble the jury
{f} cheat, swindle (Slang); lie, misrepresent the facts; disable a race horse to prevent it from winning; arrest, detain a person; make contact with a person as to persuade that person to do something; win a person over; steal; kidnap a person; (Slang) damage, tamper with