short leash
12
5.7
- noun
- /ʃɔrt liʃ/
- Informal
- But from here on out, you are on an extremely short leash!
- keep a short leash
- a very short leash
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Watch on YouTubeThey come in, they got a short leash, they got it and and it's their career.
- They come in, they got a short leash, they got it and and it's their career.
- If you're not the egghead, have the egghead in the room on a really short leash because they're going to get they're going to get into the rat holes and they love rat holes.
- And now, you know, you're on a short leash when you're older.
- I mean, you'll see when you get older, you could still look awesome like this, but you're on a short leash as far as health.
- I think it's really hard to keep your son on a short leash with a life like that, that that that he had, that the the cards that he was dealt.
Examples
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Trustees voting against him means he is on a short leash.
Blog text (12) -
Oh, she kept you on such a short leash.
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It's been discovered that our friend here is on a very short leash.
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You have to keep 'em on a short leash, Bob.
Fiction book (2000) -
Yes, Maggie always did keep Jim on a short leash.
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The big man upstairs is always watching, and he keeps me on a really short leash.
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You're on a short leash with this one.
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But you're on a very short leash.
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When school starts, you're going to be on a very short leash.
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The teacher kept the students on a short leash to ensure they stayed focused during the exam.
Synonyms
48
4.5
A limit on how much someone can do
44
3.9
A rule or measure that limits what people can do
7
7.7
Kept under strict control with little freedom
Antonyms
How Controlled
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'close or strict control' is directly and predictably derived from combining 'short' (limited length) with 'leash' (a restraint or control): a short leash limits movement, so figuratively it limits freedom. This simple compositional metaphor follows normal adjective+noun modification and is likely inferable by a B1 learner who knows both constituents.
Etymology
The phrase short leash comes from the image of a dog kept close by a very short leash so it cannot move far from its owner. That's why saying someone is on a short leash means they are under 'close control' or have 'limited freedom'.