- Home
- Idioms
- keep a tight rein on
keep a tight rein on
keep a tight rein on someone or something
and keep a close rein on someone or somethingFig. to watch and control someone or something diligently. (Alludes to controlling a horse by a tight grip on the reins.) The office manager kept a tight rein on the staff. Mary keeps a close rein on her children.
keep a tight rein on somebody/something
to control someone or something carefully Clarke has consistently pointed to the need to keep a tight rein on government finances. He kept a tight rein on his daughter.
keep a tight rein on somebody/something
also keep somebody/something on a tight rein to have a lot of control over someone or something He made ends meet by keeping a tight rein on his budget. Our parents always kept us on a pretty tight rein.
Common Names:
Name | Gender | Pronounced | Usage |
Benedito | | - | Portuguese |
Inger | | ['iŋgə] | |
Domitia | | - | Ancient Roman |
Dortha | | DAWR-thə | English |
Hagop | | - | Armenian |
Leonardo | | le-o-NAHR-do (Italian, Spanish), lee-ə-NAHR-do (English) | Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, History |