Example
“The finance director holds the purse strings, so every large purchase needs her approval.”
Dictionary details
Related idioms
Expressions connected by reviewed component words or topic tags.
pull the plug
CEFR B1to stop funding or supporting something, ending it abruptly
carrot and stick
CEFR B2a strategy that uses both incentives and penalties to steer behavior
force someone's hand
CEFR B2To pressure someone into acting, often sooner than they had planned.
free rein
CEFR B2complete freedom to make choices or act without interference
play for time
CEFR B2to delay deliberately in order to prepare or avoid an immediate outcome
rule the roost
CEFR B2To hold the most power in a household, organization, or other group and make the main decisions.
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.