- crack the whip
- phrasal
: to adopt sometimes suddenly or unexpectedly an authoritative, tyrannical, or threatening pose or policy
he has made great industrial corporations jump … when he cracks the whip — Time
* * *
1. to demand obedience, hard work, or efficiency from others in a harsh or stern manner.2. Also called snap the whip. a game in which players in a line, each holding the next, run, roller-skate, or ice-skate for a distance until the leader veers suddenly in a new direction, causing the rest of the line to swing around rapidly and the players at the end of the line to lose their balance or to let go of the other players.* * *
crack the whipTo assert authority suddenly or forcibly• • •Main Entry: ↑crack* * *
to try to make people work harder or fasterThesaurus: to nag or force someone to do somethingsynonymMain entry: crack* * *
crack the whip: to force people to work very hardThe team needs a coach who isn't afraid to crack the whip.
• • •Main Entry: ↑crack————————• • •Main Entry: ↑whip* * *
crack the ˈwhip idiomto use your authority or power to make sb work very hard, usually by treating them in a strict way
Useful english dictionary. 2012.