crack the whip
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To push or urge someone (usually one's subordinate) to work harder, likened to literally cracking a whip to control or urge on an animal. The boss is nervous that we'll lose this account, so he's really started cracking the whip on us.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
crack the whip
Behave in a domineering and demanding way toward one's subordinates. For example, He's been cracking the whip ever since he got his promotion. This expression, first recorded in 1647, alludes to drivers of horse-drawn wagons who snapped their whips hard, producing a loud cracking noise. Its figurative use dates from the late 1800s.
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.
crack the whip
If a person in authority cracks the whip, they make people work hard by being strict. They've recently installed a new management team to crack the whip. Donna stayed at home and cracked the whip over her three girls and son. Note: When someone makes people work hard by being strict with them, you can talk about the crack of their whip. He has, he says `a team of ten working hard under' him. You can almost hear the crack of his whip.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
crack the ˈwhip
use your authority or power to make somebody work very hard, usually by treating them in a strict way: What you need to do is crack the whip and make sure that they do the job properly.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
crack the whip
To behave in a domineering manner; demand hard work and efficiency from those under one's control.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.