mainly American

to allow something bad to happen which cannot then be stopped.

With the Internet, we really let the genie out of the bottle. People now have unlimited access to all manner of material.

• pick something to pieces
• pick to pieces
• pick up
• pick up marbles
• pick up marbles and go home
• pick up marbles and leave
• pick up on
• pick up on something
• pick up something
• pick up speed
• pick up steam
• pick up the ball and run
• pick up the ball and run with it
• pick up the bill
• pick up the bill for
• pick up the bill for something
• pick up the gauntlet
• pick up the pieces
• pick up the slack
• pick up the tab
• pick up the tab for
• pick up the tab for something
• pick up the threads of
• pick up the threads of something
• pick up your marbles