keep/put a/the lid on something

keep a lid on (something)

1. To keep the level of something from increasing drastically or beyond what is undesirable or dangerous. They were one of the few countries in the EU able to keep a lid on unemployment during the recession. The dictatorship has kept a tight lid on protests and public criticism of the government.

2. To not allow something to become known to other people; to keep something a secret or classified. No one else knows about it yet, so keep a lid on it for now. The company has so far kept a lid on details about its newest product.

See also: keep, lid, on

keep the lid on (something)

1. To quash or suppress something; to control something so as to keep it from flourishing, increasing, or succeeding. We need to keep the lid on rumors about the company going bankrupt. We decided to keep the lid on the project as we didn't have enough funds to see it through to the end.

2. To not allow something to become known to other people; to keep something a secret or classified. No one else knows about it yet, so I'm keeping the lid on it for the time being. The company has so far kept the lid on details about its newest product.

See also: keep, lid, on

put a lid on (something)

To keep the level of something from increasing drastically or beyond what is undesirable or dangerous. They were one of the few countries in the EU able to put a lid on unemployment during the recession. The dictator has put a tight lid on protests and public criticism of the government.

See also: lid, on, put

put the lid on (something)

1. To induce something's failure. Unfortunately, a broken leg put the lid on my vacation to the ski resort.

2. To quash or suppress something; to control something so as to keep it from flourishing, increasing, or succeeding. We need to put the lid on rumors about the company going bankrupt. We decided to put the lid on the project since we didn't have enough funds to see it through to the end.

See also: lid, on, put

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

put the lid on

Also, keep the lid on. Suppress, as in I don't know how but we'll have to put the lid on that rumor about her, or Let's keep the lid on our suspicions. The word lid here is used in the sense of "a cover for a container." [Early 1900s]

See also: lid, on, put

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

keep the lid on something

or

put the lid on something

COMMON If you keep the lid on or put the lid on a situation or problem, you keep it hidden or control it to stop it becoming worse. Murray was desperately trying to keep the lid on a potential scandal. We want the public to assist us in putting a lid on crime.

See also: keep, lid, on, something

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

keep a (or the) lid on

1 keep an emotion or process from going out of control. 2 keep something secret. informal

See also: keep, lid, on

put the (or a) lid on

put a stop to. informal

1996 Observer Nothing's final. I haven't put the lid on anything.

See also: lid, on, put

put the (tin) lid on

be the culmination of a series of acts or events that makes things unbearable. British informal

1999 Chris Dolan Ascension Day Mum found she was pregnant a month before the wedding, then Dad put the tin lid on it by getting himself laid off.

See also: lid, on, put

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

keep/put a/the ˈlid on something

try to make sure that people do not do something or find out about something: The government wants to keep the lid on discussion of tax reforms at the moment.

See also: keep, lid, on, put, something

put the (tin) ˈlid on something

(British English, informal) bring to an end an activity, your hopes or plans: I’ve got a place at an American university but I can’t afford to go, so that’s put the lid on that. ♢ It rained and rained, which put the tin lid on our plans for a picnic in the park.

See also: lid, on, put, something

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017