drag the chain
To fall behind relative to others.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Don't drag the chain while we walk to the store.”
“You drag the chain every time we try to leave the house.”
“He drags the chain because he does not want to work today.”
“The team missed the deadline because two members continued to drag the chain on their tasks.”
“Our neighbors are dragging the chain on fixing their fence, so we cannot finish our garden renovations yet.”
“The local government is dragging the chain on building the new park despite promising to start last year.”
“If the department continues to drag the chain during this transition, the company will likely lose its competitive advantage in the global market.”
The term originates in the railway industry, referring to the iron chains and hooks used to connect carriages or goods trucks. When a rear chain came loose from its secured position and fell to the track, it would drag along the ground and slow the train's progress. The resulting friction served as an unintended brake, necessitating a delay for the chain to be reattached.
- 01
drag ass
To move slowly, or lag behind.
- 02
drag on
To last too long.
- 03
drag one's balls across
To exert extreme, often aggressive, power or control over; dominate.
- 04
drag one's feet
To procrastinate, put off; to dawdle, avoid, or make progress slowly and reluctantly.
- 05
drag through the mud
To tarnish or spoil enough so that something or someone is no longer respectable.
- 06
food chain
A hierarchy.
- 07
look what the cat's dragged in
Used as an ironic acknowledgement of someone's arrival, either jocularly or to imply that they are unwelcome or disagreeable in some way.
- 08
yank someone's chain
To tease someone; to lead someone on; to goad someone into overreacting.
Last updated August 10, 2026