strain after

strain after something

[for a singer] to work very hard to reach a very high or a very low note. Don't strain after the note. Let it come naturally, like a cooling breeze. She was straining after each note as if it hurt her to sing, which it probably did.

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Keeva	KEE-va	Irish
Mortimer	MAWR-ti-mər	English
Erykah	ER-i-kə	English (Modern)
Manley	MAN-lee	English
Lynna	LIN-ə	English (Rare)
Berenice	bər-NEES (English), ber-ə-NEE-see (English), be-re-NEE-che (Italian)	English, Italian, Ancient Greek (Latinized)