Browse phrases beginning with: [A][B][C][D][E][F][G][H][I][J][K][L][M][N][O][P][Q][R][S][T][U,V][W][X,Y,Z] Strain at the leashMeaning Be enthusiastic to free oneself from the restrictions that bar one's progress. Origin The allusion is, of course, to a dog held on a lead and straining to go faster. Sir Walter Scott was the first to use it in literature. He included the expression in The Talisman, 1825:
See also - phrases coined by Sir Walter Scott. |