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lower the boom on
Idioms and Phrases
Scold harshly or punish severely; also, put a stop to something. For example, If you're caught smoking in school, the principal is bound to lower the boom on you , or The new radar equipment enabled the police to lower the boom on speeding . This expression refers to the boom of a sailboatâa long spar that extends from the mast to hold the foot of the sail. In a changing wind, the boom can swing wildly, leaving one at risk of being struck. [ Slang ; first half of 1900s]Example Sentences
It was left to Mr. Esper to lower the boom on European nations so dependent on exports to China that they are trying to find a balance between Washingtonâs demands to shun Chinese technology and Beijingâs warnings against being excluded from Europeans markets.
âI think that itâs time for President Trump to lower the boomâ on North Korea and its sponsors, he said.
Any time authorities lower the boom on credit-repair firms that allegedly cross the line into predatory practices, thatâs a good thing.
The effort will be welcome should Mr. Trump begin to lower the boom on unauthorized immigrants â though itâs impossible to know the details of what he will do, given the volatility and imprecision of his many immigration-related threats and promises.
Why wouldnât the county lower the boom on those who harbor bed bugs?
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American HeritageŸ Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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