bring someone to heel

bring (someone) to heel

To force someone to obey one's wishes or commands; to make someone act in accordance with one's authority. The CEO was quick to bring the junior board member to heel after the latter spoke out of turn at the annual general meeting. Sir, the members of your squad are all out of control. You need to bring them to heel right away! I'll only be able to bring the townspeople to heel if they believe that I have their best interests at heart.

See also: bring, heel, to

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

bring someone to heel

or

call someone to heel

COMMON If you bring someone to heel or call them to heel, you make them obey you. The king was determined to bring his rebellious subjects to heel. Others question whether he really holds such power over the president, who has been known to call him to heel at times. Note: The image here is of a person making their dog walk obediently at their side.

See also: bring, heel, someone, to

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