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be on the loose

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be on the loose

To be roaming and acting freely. This phrase can be used humorously to describe someone deemed an uninhibited annoyance, or it can be applied literally to people or animals that need to be contained. I'm not letting my kids go out at night while that burglar is still on the loose. My mother is on the loose this week because she's off from work, so expect at least five phone calls a day.

See also: loose, on

be on the loose

if a dangerous person or animal is on the loose, they have escaped from prison or a cage and are free A killer who preys on attractive women is feared to be on the loose in Moscow.

See also: loose, on