Example
“At the small family firm, Priya rules the roost and approves every major purchase.”
Dictionary details
Related idioms
Expressions connected by reviewed component words or topic tags.
carrot and stick
Neutral · CEFR B2
a strategy that uses both incentives and penalties to steer behavior
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
the ball is in your court
Neutral · CEFR B2
It is now your responsibility to make the next decision or move.
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.