pull in (one's) horns

To begin to act more cautiously. I just got this quarter's budget report, and we definitely need to pull in our horns and spend less going forward.

draw in one's horns and pull in one's horns

Fig. to back down from a fight. For a minute it looked like they were gonna start sluggin' each other, but then they drew in their horns. We tried to calm him down and get him to pull in his horns.

pull in one's horns

Also, draw in one's horns.

1. Retreat, back down, restrain oneself, as in The town manager wanted higher taxes but public reaction made him draw in his horns. This expression alludes to the snail's habit of drawing in the soft projecting parts of its body when it is threatened. The idea was first expressed in the 15th century as shrink one's horns, and the idiom with draw developed about the same time. The idiom with pull did not appear until a century later.

2. Reduce expenses, as in That drop in profits will force the company to pull in its horns. [Late 1800s]

pull in your horns

draw in your horns

If you pull in your horns or draw in your horns, you start behaving more carefully than you did before, especially by spending less money. The world's big spenders have pulled in their horns during the recession. Customers are drawing in their horns at a time of high interest rates. Note: When snails sense danger, they pull in their `horns', which are the stalks that their eyes are on.

draw/pull in your ˈhorns

start being more careful in your behaviour, especially by spending less money than before: After making huge losses, the company had to draw in its horns by cancelling some major projects.

词组	pull in (one's) horns
释义	pull in (one's) horns pull in (one's) horns To begin to act more cautiously. I just got this quarter's budget report, and we definitely need to pull in our horns and spend less going forward. See also: horn, pull Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. draw in one's horns and pull in one's horns Fig. to back down from a fight. For a minute it looked like they were gonna start sluggin' each other, but then they drew in their horns. We tried to calm him down and get him to pull in his horns. See also: and, draw, horn, pull McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. pull in one's horns Also, draw in one's horns. 1. Retreat, back down, restrain oneself, as in The town manager wanted higher taxes but public reaction made him draw in his horns. This expression alludes to the snail's habit of drawing in the soft projecting parts of its body when it is threatened. The idea was first expressed in the 15th century as shrink one's horns, and the idiom with draw developed about the same time. The idiom with pull did not appear until a century later. 2. Reduce expenses, as in That drop in profits will force the company to pull in its horns. [Late 1800s] See also: horn, pull The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. pull in your horns or draw in your horns If you pull in your horns or draw in your horns, you start behaving more carefully than you did before, especially by spending less money. The world's big spenders have pulled in their horns during the recession. Customers are drawing in their horns at a time of high interest rates. Note: When snails sense danger, they pull in their `horns', which are the stalks that their eyes are on. See also: horn, pull Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. draw/pull in your ˈhorns start being more careful in your behaviour, especially by spending less money than before: After making huge losses, the company had to draw in its horns by cancelling some major projects. See also: draw, horn, pull Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary See also: pull in one's horns pull in your horns draw in (one's) horns draw in horns and pull in horns draw in your horns draw/pull in your horns haul in (one's) horns wear the horns no doubt about it show (one's) horns
随便看	wriggle off the hook wriggle (one's) way into (something or some place) wriggle (one's) way out (of something) wriggle out wriggle out (of something) wring wringer wring from wring (one's) hands wring (one's) neck wring (one's) withers wring out wring out of where in the world Where in the world...? Where in the world? where is at Where is the restroom? Where is your powder room? where it's at where it’s at where lives whereof where on earth Where on earth?