clip the wings of
The phrase "clip the wings of" originates from the practice of trimming a bird's flight feathers to prevent it from flying, used figuratively to describe restricting someone's freedom or power.
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Definition
B2General
(figurative, informal)To restrict someone's freedom or ability to act independently.
Example
- The new regulations will clip the wings of small businesses, making it harder for them to compete.
- By cutting the budget, the manager effectively clipped the wings of the project team.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "clip the wings of":