leash
143
4.5
- noun
- /liːʃ/
- Since the beginning of the Gulf crisis, the leash has been made even shorter.
- on a short leash
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Watch on YouTubeI don't want this to be a leash to control me, the junction fight.
- I don't want this to be a leash to control me, the junction fight.
- Is it what your leash keeper, Elon Musk said?
- And the, and the woman had the guy on a leash or whatever.
- And then I think they give you, you know, the longest leash.
- He is the president's babysitter slash leash holder.
- Like I'd be on a, I'd be on a leash for that bitch.
- So I can get, I'll grant him the longest leash on that, that that is his intention with all of this.
- And you also have your mental chatter, not a leash.
Examples
-
There was a man holding a German shepherd on a leash, much of which was coiled around his hand.
Fiction book (1998) -
And why would the press suddenly feel like they were let off the leash to ask the question?
-
Oh, she kept you on such a short leash.
-
Well, I guess my mom wanted to keep my dad on a shorter leash.
-
In fact, they are kept on the usually tight leash of their nation-state members.
Academic text (2000) -
When school starts, you're going to be on a very short leash.
-
She's on a short leash, but has the freedom to move around the cabin.
Fiction book (1996) -
Louis had in fact been eager to meet Gem, but the Knights kept Gem on a tight leash in Nice.
-
But in California, you can't let your dogs run off leash on the beach if they're on leash beaches.
-
The owner kept his dog on a short leash to prevent it from running away.
Synonyms
36
3.9
A rule or measure that limits what people can do
35
5.4
A rope or chain used to tie an animal so it cannot move far
26
8.2
A limit placed on what someone or something can do
15
5.7
Close control of someone that allows them little freedom
11
7.7
Kept under strict control with little freedom
8
4.7
A rope or light chain used to guide an animal
Antonyms
Idioms
- Informal
1
7.1
To want to start doing something very eagerly while being held back
Compounds
How Restrictive
Surface Forms
Etymology
Leash originally named the strap that held an animal, so it came to mean 'control' or the amount of freedom someone is given; that's why a 'longer leash' means more freedom and a 'tight leash' means strict control.