in check
Under control; contained or restrained. You've got to find a way to keep the company's expenses in check, or you could end up going bankrupt. He was careful to keep his displeasure in check as he unwrapped the present from his wife. I managed to keep my emotions in check during the meeting, but I cried as soon as everyone left.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
in check
Restrained from moving or acting; under control. For example, The first division held the enemy in check, or Mary kept her emotions in check. This term replaced at check and out of check, which date from the mid-1500s.
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.