short leash
A strict set of rules, or great scrutiny or oversight which limit one's freedom of action.
The employee was put on probation after her latest mistakes and given a short leash.
leash
/liːʃ/
noun 5verb 2
Collocations
4ADJ.
hard, public, short, tight
VERB + LEASH
buy, dropped, go, hold, keep, pets, straining, wear
LEASH + NOUN
areas, dog, drawers, law
PREP.
in, in, on, on, up
Definitions
noun
1
A strap, cord or rope with which to restrain an animal, often a dog.
A stout woman upholstered in velvet, her flabby cheeks too much massaged, swirled by with her poodle straining at its leash
like a fawning greyhound in the leash
2
A brace and a half; a tierce.
3
A set of three animals (especially greyhounds, foxes, bucks, and hares;)
4
A group of three.
Sirrah, I am sworn brother to a leash of drawers; and can call them all by their Christian names, as, Tom, Dick, and Francis.
[I] kept my chamber a leash of days.
5
A string with a loop at the end for lifting warp threads, in a loom.
verb
1
To fasten or secure with a leash.
2
to curb, restrain
Man is brow-beaten, leashed, muzzled, masked, and lashed by boards and councils, by leagues and societies, by church and state.
Thesaurus
Idioms & Phrases
strain at the leash
To be very eager to do or begin something.
Example Bank
601
A stout woman upholstered in velvet, her flabby cheeks too much massaged, swirled by with her poodle straining at its leash
Wiktionary02
like a fawning greyhound in the leash
Wiktionary03
Sirrah, I am sworn brother to a leash of drawers; and can call them all by their Christian names, as, Tom, Dick, and Francis.
Wiktionary04
Man is brow-beaten, leashed, muzzled, masked, and lashed by boards and councils, by leagues and societies, by church and state.
Wiktionary05
As soon as I let go of the leash, the dog ran away.
Tatoeba · #24099006
If you want to buy a leash, go to a pet shop.
Tatoeba · #2031351Usage Notes
i Register
In some senses, leash is marked as obsolete, figuratively. Watch for register when choosing this word.
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