knock-on effect

English

Etymology

knock-on + effect

Noun

knock-on effect (plural knock-on effects)

1. (British) A secondary, often unintended effect; a repercussion, chain reaction.

   If a coach arrives late, it has a knock-on effect on the entire coach station.

   • 2007, March 24th, The Economist magazine, page 51:

     There are various knock-on effects [to the international boycott of the Palestinian government]. PA [Palestinian Authority] services, particularly health and education, have deteriorated sharply because of supply shortages and strikes by workers. Much of the time hospitals have been seeing only emergency cases.

   • 2020 September 9, Paul Clifton, “SWR unveils £1bn 'Arterios' for the "heart of our network"”, in Rail, page 26:

     The Crossrail trains were delivered on time, but there was a long software integration period. That had a knock-on effect on the other orders.

Translations

secondary, indirect effect

• Czech: dominový efekt (cs) m
• Finnish: heijastusvaikutus (fi)
• Italian: effetto domino m, effetto a catena m
• Spanish: efecto secundario m, efecto llamada (es)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: ^{(please verify)} effet domino (fr)

See also

• idiom, other effects: domino effect
• concept, related: Unintended consequence

Further reading

• “knock-on effect”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.