Idiom
bring to heel
Meaning
To compel someone to obey; to force someone into a submissive condition.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“The trainer brought the wild dog to heel.”
“The new manager quickly brought the unruly team to heel by enforcing strict office rules.”
“After years of political instability, the dictator used his secret police to bring the rebellious provinces to heel.”
Examples
simple
“The trainer brought the wild dog to heel.”
contextual
“The new manager quickly brought the unruly team to heel by enforcing strict office rules.”
complex
“After years of political instability, the dictator used his secret police to bring the rebellious provinces to heel.”
Origin
The idiom derives from the literal command given to a dog to ensure it walks closely behind its master. In the context of the hunt or the kennel, the phrase served as a sharp instruction to force an animal into immediate and physical submission.
Key words
Related idioms
- Updated