loosen (redirected from loosens)

loosen the purse strings

to allow more money to be spent. We shouldn't expect the Chancellor to loosen the purse strings too much in the Budget.

See also: purse, string

loosen your tongue

if alcohol loosens your tongue, it makes you talk a lot without thinking carefully about what you are saying. Her tongue loosened by drink, she began to say things that she would later regret.

See also: tongue

loosen/relax the reins

tighten the reins - to start to control something or someone more carefully. The Government has relaxed the reins on wage control to boost consumer spending. (often + on)

See also: reins

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loosen your tongue

to cause you to talk without thinking carefully about what you are saying. The vodka really loosened her tongue and I found out exactly what happened that night.

See also: tongue

loosen up (someone)

to behave in a relaxed, informal way. Slowly she began to loosen up and, by the second semester, she was making friends with her classmates. The question was supposed to loosen people up and chase away their anxieties.