run afoul of

今日の表現もThe Art of Choosingの第二章 A Stranger in Strange Landsにあったものです。
More and more, we're creating global organizations that link diverse groups of employees in locations around the world, and at the same time strive to implement standardized policies and practices in order to ensure the highest degree of efficiency. In the process, though, such organizations may inadvertently run afoul of cultural differences in workers' expectations.
"afoul" は知らない単語ですが、"run afoul of" は慣用句の様でもあります。 "run afoul of" で調べると、その説明を載せている辞書はそれほど多くはありませんが、主な辞書では次の例がありました。
・Oxford English Dictionary: Come into conflict with; go against: the act may run afoul of consumer protection legislation
しかし、"afoul" で検索すると、どの辞書にも説明がありました。
・Cambridge English Dictionary: to experience problems, punishment, or harm because you do not obey a rule or disagree with a powerful organization, group, or person: He was 15 when he first ran afoul of the law.: At one point Seeger fell afoul of the US government for his anti-war actions.
・Vocabulary.com: If something goes afoul, it goes badly wrong. When a prank falls afoul of the law, it crosses the line from just a joke to something much more serious.
Use the adjective afoul to describe things that conflict or clash. If a politician goes afoul of the rules about using taxpayer money for person items, she's bound to pay for it in votes. Likewise, a party guest might accidentally go afoul of the etiquette about how much candy to grab from a fallen pinata. The original nineteenth century meaning of afoul was nautical, describing tangled ropes or lines on a ship.
"afoul" は "run" の他にも "fall" や "go" の動詞と共に、"run/fall/go afoul of" の形で使われる事が分かりました。