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keep a tight rein on

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keep a tight rein on someone or something and keep a close rein on someone or something
Fig. to watch and control someone or something diligently. (Alludes to controlling a horse by a tight grip on the reins.) The office manager kept a tight rein on the staff. Mary keeps a close rein on her children.
See also: keep, rein, tight

keep a tight rein on somebody/something   also keep somebody/something on a tight rein
to have a lot of control over someone or something He made ends meet by keeping a tight rein on his budget. Our parents always kept us on a pretty tight rein.
See also: keep, rein, tight

keep a tight rein on somebody/something
to control someone or something carefully Clarke has consistently pointed to the need to keep a tight rein on government finances. He kept a tight rein on his daughter.
See also: keep, rein, tight


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However much the present Beijing government would like to keep a tight rein on developments, and blend the best of community planning with market forces, today's reality is more like the free-for-all 'Manchester capitalism' which Friedrich Engels described at the beginning of Britain's industrial revolution.
And they will likely keep a tight rein on slaughter rates to better match beef production to the smaller domestic market.
Morningstar's Sweeney says investors should look for funds that keep a tight rein on expenses and whose management has experience through the peaks and troughs of the market cycle.
 
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