lead by

lead by

1. To provide guidance or leadership through some means or manner. As a parent, I always try to lead by example. The new CEO of the company has chosen to lead by force, dictating the terms by which his employees are expected to operate.
2. To provide someone with guidance or leadership through some means or manner. In this usage, a noun or pronoun is used between "lead" and "by." I find that leading the students by example yields much better results than simply presenting information to them. You'll get a lot more out of your team if you lead by consent than by demanding what you want them to do.
3. To guide or direct someone, something, or an animal by grasping and pulling them by a particular part. In this usage, a noun or pronoun is used between "lead" and "by." He lead the child by the hand out of the burning building. I was leading the bull out of its pen by its nose ring when suddenly it got spooked and tossed me over the side of the fence with its horns.
4. To directly control, direct, or guide what someone does or how someone acts. In this usage, a noun or pronoun is used between "lead" and "by"; typically followed by "the nose" or "the hand." I can't stand the way your mother leads you around by the nose like that. Aren't you sick of her telling you what to do all the time? I hate having to lead new interns by the hand until they figure out how to do the job.
See also: by, lead
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

lead someone by something

to guide someone by grasping a part and moving. Do you expect me to lead you around by the hand, showing you everything to do in your job? The cop grabbed Max and led him around by the collar.
See also: by, lead
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • pilfer
  • pilfer from
  • pilfer from (someone or something)
  • pilfered
  • cook the books
  • cue
  • (right) on cue
  • cook the accounts
  • a/the fish rots from the head down
  • a/the fish stinks from the head down
References in periodicals archive
Under these circumstances, Toshiba will define Lead(Pb)-Free in accordance with the industry standard as containing less than 0.1 percent lead by weight.
Making the transition: Toshiba outlines its transition to lead-free manufacturing for its line of semiconductor products
The researchers also discovered why color units leach so much lead: It's their frit, which is 70 percent lead by weight.
Toxic color TVs and computer monitors
Cold water is preferred because warm water enhances the absorption of lead by opening the pores of the skin.
Lead poisoning: a firearms safety hazard
Children become exposed to lead by chewing on windowsills, lead paint chips or inhaling lead dust generated when opening and closing painted windows.
Lead: another asbestos frenzy?
Acquisition and retention of lead by young children.
A critical review of biomarkers used for monitoring human exposure to lead: advantages, limitations, and future needs
Such heavy reliance on lead by the Romans has prompted some to speculate that lead poisoning contributed to the empire's fall.
Fouling the air: not just a modern problem
Nation and colleagues administered 8- and 16-milligram (mg) doses of lead by gavage to adult female rats starting 30 days before breeding them.
Leading to Drug Abuse
Before 1950, house paint contained up to 50% lead by weight, and currently children in 26 million households live in housing built before 1950 (3).
Use of Geographic Information System Technology to Aid Health Department Decision Making about Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Activities
Lead paint typically contains around 50% lead by weight.
Poorly Controlled Hypertension in a Painter with Chronic Lead Toxicity
The recommendation was to follow lead-safe practices in the ongoing remodeling work to prevent intake of household lead by the child.
Lead Isotopes as a Supplementary Tool in the Routine Evaluation of Household Lead Hazards
The results reinforce observations that the [ALAD.sup.2] allele increases red blood cell binding of lead, and so probably decreases the relative deposition of lead in critical target organs, possibly protecting against the toxicity of lead by increasing the amount of legal excreted in urine.
Vulnerability to Lead