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Glite Dictionary
to strain at the leash

to strain at the leash

7.1
To want to start doing something very eagerly while being held back
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : estar ansioso por
  • The dog was straining at the leash, eager to chase after the ball.

Examples

  • With Nina straining at the leash as my stimulus, I have thought a lot about a lot of things, but particularly about the things immediately around me on our walks.

    Academic text (1995)

  • The children were straining at the leash, excited to start the field trip.

  • The man came into the office like a pit bull straining at the leash.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Straining at the leash aren't they?

    23 Paces to Baker Street (1956)

  • He wonders what she's saying as the dog strains at the leash.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Titus felt like a terrier straining at the leash, urging the slow-footed human along.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • As the race approached, the runners were straining at the leash, ready to sprint at the starting signal.

Antonyms

to wait
∞ 1.0

To stay in one place or delay action until something happens

to hold back
187 3.2

Stop someone or something from moving forward

How Eager

desperate
704 3.3
to strain at the leash
  • Informal
7.1
impatient
11 3.4
eager
447 1.0
to look forward
825 1.4
ready
1 2.3
to wait
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

strain at the leash infinitive
strained at the leash past
strained at the leash past participle
straining at the leash present participle
strains at the leash third person singular

Morphology

strain + at + the + leash

The phrase pairs 'strain' (to pull/exert) with 'leash' (a restraint), so the meaning 'be eager or impatient but held back' follows directly from the literal image of pulling against a restraint. Because this requires a metaphorical mapping from a concrete scene to a psychological state rather than a purely literal composition, it is not fully predictable for all learners without prior exposure.

Etymology

The idiom strain at the leash comes from the picture of a dog or horse on a leash pulling hard to go forward while someone holds it back. That's why the phrase means 'to be very eager or impatient to begin or do something'.