I. noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
keep a tight grip/hold/rein on sth (= control it very firmly )
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The former dictator still keeps a tight grip on power.
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Anna was determined to keep a tight hold on her feelings.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
free
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So, goes the conspiracy, the Foreign Office can now give free rein to its instinctive Arabism.
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Then I pretty much give them free rein .
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As he drove he was able to allow his thoughts a free rein .
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No, it was thanks to my culinary abilities that Marie-Claude gave me free rein of both her kitchen and her bedchamber.
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I would discuss the script, say, on proportional representation, and then give him free rein .
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But at that minute, having allowed them free rein , guilt and self-condemnation were riding her hard.
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His moral reading of events was given free rein .
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The special conditions at Westminster are one part of the explanation of the relatively free rein given to counter-insurgency and covert activity.
full
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Despite giving full rein to Laura's inner struggles and torments, Fuentes is far more interested in the grand scale.
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He gave her full rein of the hallway.
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Closing his eyes wasn't much better, because it gave his imagination full rein .
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In this book I ask you to abandon your conservatism and allow your curiosity full rein .
tight
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Non-executive directors would keep executives on a tight rein .
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Apart from anything else, it would be necessary to keep Hilary Todd on a tight rein .
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I tend to keep a tight rein at first, and gradually relax as I get to know them.
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Her only chance of survival, she felt, was to keep a tight rein over her feelings and words.
■ VERB
hold
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Unlike his predecessors, Norvm had managerial experience, having formerly held the reins at Railway Sidings Malmo.
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More than half its membership came from the very corporate law firms that have perennially held the reins of the bar.
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He wouldn't have done that, would he, if he wasn't holding the reins ...?
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Businessmen talk on their cellular phones while holding on to the reins of their strong-legged animals at stoplights.
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Nutty showed him how to hold the reins .
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Kremlin holds the reins , page 7 Non-Communist becomes acting head of state Krenz falls as unrest fears grow.
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Riven held his reins in one hand and jabbed at the snarling grypesh with the other as they darted into his reach.
pull
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There was a loud clang and Broomhead cursed vehemently, pulling on the reins .
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Twenty minutes later Luke pulled back on the reins as they reached the crossroads.
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She was attempting to pull her reins out of Alexei's hands.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
give sb a free hand/rein
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They've given me a free hand with the budget, as long as I stay under $10,000.
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Both these factors gave him a freer hand to negotiate.
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He's given me a free hand to buy horses.
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I would discuss the script, say, on proportional representation, and then give him free rein.
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It turns them on and gives them a free hand to be as obnoxious as they want.
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No advanced industrial nation gives corporations a freer hand in busting unions.
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No, it was thanks to my culinary abilities that Marie-Claude gave me free rein of both her kitchen and her bedchamber.
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Then I pretty much give them free rein.
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While watching him at work she impulsively asked to borrow his materials and followed his advice to give her imagination free rein.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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And the mare, as if finally understanding, begins to strain, tosses her head wildly, pulls at the reins.
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Despite bad moods and worse manners, the car could always be tamed by appreciation, patience and just enough rein .
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He dragged on the reins and drew the buggy around, flaying the horse with his whip.
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He gave me the backbone to take the reins and be assertive and a little more aggressive.
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Meanwhile, Seb tied the reins of his horse to the back of the cart before sprinting towards the manor house.
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SunSelect general manager, Carl Ledbetter, takes the reins of the combined unit.
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The ponies were growing restless, and she shook the reins and sent them on down the gentle slope towards the house.
II. verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
in
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She was considered a wild girl who only needed reining in , and Hank was the man to do it.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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After reining in the regional barons and tackling the business oligarchs, Mr Putin read the riot act to the generals.
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Bandelier did prompt his parents to take steps to rein Kip in.
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But Puerto Rico is relying on Big Government to rein in crime and address festering social problems in the developments.
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Further spotlighting that metamorphosis, Bush's budget used tones of moderation to describe its effort to rein in spending.
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She was considered a wild girl who only needed reining in, and Hank was the man to do it.
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The ruling is an important victory for groups trying to rein in such verdicts.
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The strategy of bartering, mentioned earlier is one way to rein in the cost of a date.