to cramp someone's style
17
7.8
- idiom
- Informal
- Her strict rules really cramp my style when I want to express myself freely.
Examples
-
And I know that's not the coolest stomping grounds for a bunch of starving artists like yourselves, but let's just do our best not to cramp each other's style.
-
You guys are cramping my style.
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It's starting to cramp her style.
-
And they were cramping my style.
-
I still think you're cramping my style.
-
Because the train is rocking a little bit it's cramping my style.
-
He's totally cramping my style.
-
You're cramping my style, baby.
-
A company man like those old poops in Rome and Paris... breathing down my neck every minute, cramping my style.
-
You're cramping my style.
Synonyms
22
4.0
To limit growth and movement of people or things
14
4.8
Stop someone from acting or making decisions
2
6.3
Make someone unable to act naturally or show feelings
1
7.7
To stop people from showing their own style or ideas
Antonyms
How Restrained
177
3.5
71
5.3
465
2.1
- Informal
17
7.8
74
3.5
141
3.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
The verb 'cramp' (to hamper or severely limit) combined with "someone's" + 'style' (one's manner or way of behaving) yields a directly compositional meaning of restricting a person's manner or freedom of expression. This follows a standard verb + possessive + noun pattern and is not highly metaphorical or idiomatic, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent meanings can infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Cramp someone's style comes from the image of a sudden muscle cramp that makes it hard to move or act freely. If a cramp stops your movement, then to cramp someone's style means 'to stop or limit someone's natural way of acting'.