bring someone to heelとは 意味・読み方・使い方

動詞

to bring to heel

1. (transitive, idiomatic) To compel someone to obey; to force someone into a submissive condition.
   • 1906, John Galsworthy, The Forsyte Saga, Part I, ch. 12:

     They wanted a lesson, and they would get it; but it would take three months at least to bring them to heel.

   • 1988 June 10, Howell Raines, "Journal: In Tory Country, Someone to Watch Over TV," New York Times (retrieved 16 Jan 2012):

     Even some fellow Conservatives maintain that Sir William has shown a dangerously authoritarian streak since enlisting as a general in Mrs. Thatcher's single-minded campaign to bring broadcasters to heel.

   • 2011 April 4, "Ahmad Shuja Pasha," Time:

     Now Pasha says the ISI is the only organization that can bring the wayward Taliban to heel.