Idiom
feel someone's collar
Meaning
To arrest someone.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“The police officer stopped him to feel his collar.”
“The detective waited outside the bank until he could finally feel the thief's collar.”
“After a long investigation into the suspect's illegal activities, the authorities moved in to feel his collar at the airport.”
Examples
simple
“The police officer stopped him to feel his collar.”
contextual
“The detective waited outside the bank until he could finally feel the thief's collar.”
complex
“After a long investigation into the suspect's illegal activities, the authorities moved in to feel his collar at the airport.”
Origin
The expression is derived from the physical act of an arresting police officer seizing a suspect by the collar. It emerged from the practical requirements of law enforcement, where the grip served to ensure a prisoner's compliance and prevent their departure before formal proceedings could commence.
Key words
Related idioms
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