All 5 Uses of
rein
in
The War of the Worlds
- I went in again, according to my promise, to get my servant's box, lugged it out, clapped it beside her on the tail of the dog cart, and then caught the reins and jumped up into the driver's seat beside my wife.†
Chpt 1.9
- I slashed the horse with the whip, and gave him a loose rein until Woking and Send lay between us and that quivering tumult.†
Chpt 1.9 *
- I felt a tug at the reins.†
Chpt 1.10
- "Give me the reins," she said, and laid the whip along the pony's side.†
Chpt 1.16
- My brother, with the cabman's whip marks red across his face and hands, scrambled into the chaise and took the reins from her.†
Chpt 1.16
Definition:
-
(rein as in: to rein in their activities) to restrain or control; or a means of controlThe meaning of rein depends upon its context. For example:
- "keep a tight rein on the new employee," or "rein in a horse" -- to control or restrain
- "give the new employee free rein," or "give the horse full rein" -- do not restrain
- "the reins of government" -- means of control
- "the reins of the horse" -- leather straps used with a bit to control a horse (You might like to think of other senses of rein as being figurative derivations from this sense.)