hold the reins

hold the reins

To have or be in control, especially of a group, project, or situation. Though my grandfather was the breadwinner, it was my grandmother who truly held the reins in their house. The boss decided she'd hold the reins on this project after the assistant manager bungled the last one so badly.
See also: hold, reins
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • from the year dot
  • from, since, etc. the year dot
  • (there's) no fool like an old fool
  • in escrow
  • fresh off the boat
  • off the boat
  • horse opera
  • hoss opera
  • just off the boat
  • burn (one) out of (something)
References in periodicals archive
Peter Beardsley would be prepared to step in and hold the reins were Alan Pardew to quit Newcastle United and join Crystal Palace as boss.
Thus with Labour's desire to win marginal seats from Plaid etc, it strikes me that much of this scaremongering has less to do with the benefits to Cymru fach, and more with the future of the Labour Party and the fear that it will never again hold the reins of power in London.
They stall and lie in wait until they can again hold the reins of government, and until then we shall all suffer the lack of ability to act on health care, immigration, job production, education, guns, voter suppression, presidential appointments, etc.
Joshi was asked to hold the reins of the railway ministry.
Club stalwart Sam Hanna was the last man to hold the reins. He stepped into the breach to replace Jim O'Rourke back in March to promptly guide the club off the foot of the 1B table.
This privileged family have enjoyed no inheritance tax levy against them for hundreds of years, hence they continue to hold the reins in terms of finance.
Watkins, a prominent sports lawyer and senior non-executive director of the RFL, will hold the reins until a new chairman is appointed to succeed Lewis, a former Davis Cup player who is leaving to become chief executive of Wimbledon.
According to Gomi, Kim Jong Nam also said that the existing power group would continue to hold the reins of power and plans to use the new, young leader as a symbol of North Korea.
Now they no longer hold the reins in Westminster and there is not a single Welsh MP in the shadow cabinet either.
The bank's ratings are based on the assumption that Uzbek businessmen Batir Rakhimov and his brother, who owns food, milk, mineral extraction and building materials firms, hold the reins of Kapitalbank.
They are the most essential element in a complex society but the least valued by all the privileged people who hold the reins and exploit their labour while producing nothing but hot air themselves.
Prime Minister Taro Aso and main opposition Democratic Party of Japan President Ichiro Ozawa both stressed their parties' ability to hold the reins of government in their first Diet debate Wednesday amid widespread expectations a general election will be called soon.
Asked if he agreed Mourinho was the best manager in the game, Wilkins added: "I would say that would be a fair comment - obviously they will have to look for someone who can hold the reins.
And the Oakwell outfit have been happy for Davey to hold the reins while going through the process of finding a permanent replacement for Ritchie.
Ethical norms are now entirely relativist, and are a function of what is currently deemed "politically correct." Political correctness in turn is a function of a so-called "consensus" of stakeholders manipulated by those who hold the reins of power.