Example
“The city used a carrot-and-stick policy of tax credits and fines to reduce pollution.”
Dictionary details
Related idioms
Expressions connected by reviewed component words or topic tags.
hockey stick
Neutral · CEFR B2
a pattern of slow or flat growth followed by a sudden, dramatic rise
throw it at the wall and see what sticks
Informal · CEFR B2
to try many ideas quickly, keeping only the ones that work
force someone's hand
Neutral · CEFR B2
To pressure someone into acting, often sooner than they had planned.
free rein
Neutral · CEFR B2
complete freedom to make choices or act without interference
hold the purse strings
Neutral · CEFR B2
to control a budget and decide how money may be spent
play for time
Neutral · CEFR B2
to delay deliberately in order to prepare or avoid an immediate outcome
Source methodology
Meanings, register, CEFR, and examples come from the reviewed dictionary record. Expression notes may describe a reviewed present-day word picture or a background note; they are not presented as verified etymology.