cramp someone's style
To restrict someone's free action or expression.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Please stop watching me, you are cramping my style.”
“I love my parents, but they really cramp my style when they visit me at college.”
“The strict dress code at the office often cramps the style of employees who prefer to express their individuality through their clothing.”
first recorded 19th c.
In 1819, Charles Lamb wrote a letter to Wordsworth in which he remarked, "I will never write another letter with alternate inks. You cannot imagine how it cramps the flow of the style." Lamb’s correspondence was subsequently published in book form in 1837, followed by several reprints and editions.
The specific letter appeared in print again at the start of the 20th century in the seventh volume of The Life and Works of Charles Lamb. In 1905, it was included in the sixth volume of The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb. While the idiomatic usage dates from the early 1900s, it is possible the expression originated with this complaint regarding the inconvenience of switching ink pots.
- 01
another nail in someone's coffin
An event that increases the likelihood of or causes further failure.
- 02
answer someone's prayers
To be or do exactly what someone has been wishing or asking for.
- 03
answer to someone's prayers
Exactly what someone has been wishing or asking for.
- 04
apple of someone's eye
The object of somebody's affections; a person (or sometimes a thing) that someone strongly prefers; a favorite, a loved one.
- 05
bane of someone's existence
Someone or something that poses a significant problem to someone.
- 06
bash someone's face in
To beat someone violently.
- 07
bash someone's head
To beat up someone violently.
- 08
be someone's to lose
To be anticipated to be won by someone.
Last updated August 10, 2026