bring to heel

verb

Etymology

From the command to make a dog closely follow its master.

Definitions

  1. To compel someone to obey

    To compel someone to obey; to force someone into a submissive condition.

    • They wanted a lesson, and they would get it; but it would take three months at least to bring them to heel.
    • Even some fellow Conservatives maintain that Sir William has shown a dangerously authoritarian streak since enlisting as a general in Mrs. Thatcher's single-minded campaign to bring broadcasters to heel.
  2. To cause to act in a disciplined manner.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for bring to heel. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA