Short leash?_其他_趣味英语-查字典英语网

Short leash?

Make that blog about, but you get the point.

Let’s turn to focus on the term “short leash”. Originally, this refers to the piece or rope a dog owner keeps in hand while he’s out enjoying a walk with his pet. Leash is the formal name of this piece of rope, which is attached to the collar of the dog. Whenever its owner detects anything untoward from the dog, he pulls the leash to rein the animal in.

The leash can be long or it can be short. In the street, we sometimes see people walking their tiny dog using a leash of about 10 meters in length. Other times, we see people walking with a big dog step by step, holding a leash no longer than 2 meters in length.

Needless to say, the big dog is a more dangerous animal. Its owner keeps the leash short in order to keep it under tight control.

As for the other dog, with the longer leash, he has greater freedom to roam about.

By analogy, if someone keeps other people on a leash, they want to keep them under control.

The shorter or tighter leash, the greater the control – or the less wiggle room to give.

Alright?

Alright, here are recent media examples of “short leash”, or “tight leash”:

1. Since Bob Bennett’s ouster, Sen. Orrin Hatch has been on his best behavior, fighting to convince the electorate that he’s a true conservative. The people of Utah have had him on a short leash, which has been a remarkable display of the power that “we the people” still retain over our elected officials.