All 50 Uses of
rein
in
Lonesome Dove
- Newt gripped his reins tightly and mashed his hat down on his head every few minutes—he didn't want to lose his hat.†
Chpt 9-10reins = a means of control -- most commonly the straps attached to a bit in a horse's mouth that are used to control it OR restrains or controls
- "I'm going a little closer," Deets said, handing Newt his reins.†
Chpt 9-10
- When he took the reins Lorena felt a deeper fright than she had ever known.†
Chpt 30-31
- The black man was looking back watchfully, lifting her reins a bit so as to keep the horse's head out of the water.†
Chpt 30-31
- With a smile, the black man handed her back her wet reins.†
Chpt 30-31
- Newt held his reins, still crying, and let Mouse do the work.†
Chpt 34-35
- The mules had the stump moving, and she kept at them, popping them with the reins and yelling at them as if they were deaf, while Roscoe lay there and watched the big stump slowly come out of the hole where it had been for so many years.†
Chpt 36-37
- Lippy was on the seat, but he didn't have the reins and couldn't stop the team.†
Chpt 40-41
- "Gracias, Capitan," Bol said, when Call handed him the reins to the gelding.†
Chpt 40-41
- He decided to find some braided horsehair reins when he got to Austin—the thin leather rein he was using could easily have snapped.†
Chpt 44-45
- She wanted to turn her horse and flee, hopeless as that was, but while she sat in a cold sweat of fear Blue Duck turned and caught her bridle, wrapping her reins around his saddle horn.†
Chpt 48-49
- Then Blue Duck reined in and quickly dropped the saddle off his horse.†
Chpt 48-49reined in = restrained
- He wheeled the horse around and started to put him into a run, but Janey jerked on the reins.†
Chpt 52-53reins = a means of control -- most commonly the straps attached to a bit in a horse's mouth that are used to control it OR restrains or controls
- Roscoe was slumped over the horn, asleep, and the girl held the reins.†
Chpt 52-53
- Then he drew his knife, wrapped the bridle reins tightly around one hand, and jabbed the knife into the horse's neck, slashing the jugular vein.†
Chpt 56-57
- He had kept a tight grip on the reins and the horse didn't break free, but Newt had a time calming him enough that he could remount.†
Chpt 62-63
- Again, he managed to hang on to his reins, but he was naked, and hailstones were pounding all around him.†
Chpt 62-63
- Luke had to grab the reins with his pants half down, and when he did, Elmira grabbed Zwey's extra rifle.†
Chpt 66-67
- When he tried to change his reins from one hand to another, he closed his hand on several grasshoppers and almost dropped his rein.†
Chpt 66-67
- Frog Lip reined in his horse and watched as both cows fell through the roof of the sod house.
Chpt 68-69 *reined in = restrained or controlled (by pulling on straps used to control a horse)
- Newt was about to take the reins when Dish Boggett intervened.†
Chpt 70-71reins = a means of control -- most commonly the straps attached to a bit in a horse's mouth that are used to control it OR restrains or controls
- He must have slept with the damn reins in his hand or he'd have never got to his horse.†
Chpt 70-71
- Zwey immediately handed the reins to Luke and went back to help cover her up.†
Chpt 75-76
- He spat once more at Dish and reached to take the filly's reins.†
Chpt 85-86
- Dish took the reins and patted her on the neck.†
Chpt 85-86
- He popped the team with the reins and rode out of town, thinking how young the boys were.†
Chpt 85-86
- Jimmy's horse would ride double, but not triple, so Newt had to walk the last two miles, annoyed with himself for not having kept a grip on the reins.†
Chpt 85-86
- Clara asked, handing him the reins to the little mule team before he could answer.†
Chpt 87-88
- He reached for his reins, but they were not there.†
Chpt 89-90
- Then, to his amazement, he saw that Deets had taken his reins and was leading the Hell Bitch.†
Chpt 89-90
- Deets stopped and gave him his reins.†
Chpt 89-90
- He sawed on the reins with all his might but the bit seemed to make no difference to the horse.†
Chpt 91-92
- Call looked and saw that the mules were dashing off back toward the Powder, Lippy sawing futilely on the reins and bouncing a foot off the wagon seat from time to time.†
Chpt 91-92
- Then he handed Newt the reins and went over and took his big Henry out of its scabbard.†
Chpt 99-100
- He himself was far worse, for he had been dishonest about his own son, who stood not ten feet away, holding the reins of the Hell Bitch.†
Chpt 99-100
- Then, before he had scarcely reined in at Clara's house, where he found Dish Boggett breaking horses with the young sheriff from Arkansas, the woman began a quarrel with him.†
Chpt 101-102reined in = restrained
- When Call dismounted and dropped his reins old Bolivar walked over, trembling, a look of disbelief on his face.†
Chpt 101-102reins = a means of control -- most commonly the straps attached to a bit in a horse's mouth that are used to control it OR restrains or controls
- They rode right up to the back porch before they drew rein.†
Chpt 5-6
- Her shoulders were bare, which startled him so that he dropped a rein.†
Chpt 7-8
- It was only when they loped over a ridge and surprised a sizable herd of longhorns that the Captain drew rein.†
Chpt 9-10
- Stepping to the end of his rein, he began to relieve himself.†
Chpt 9-10
- When they had ridden south two or three more miles, Call drew rein.†
Chpt 9-10
- With his eyes toward the gunfire Newt was unprepared for the leap, and lost a stirrup and one rein but held on to the saddle horn and kept his seat.†
Chpt 11-12
- Call loosened his rein and let the mare drink.†
Chpt 11-12
- Call let the mare drink all she wanted before gathering his rein.†
Chpt 11-12
- JAKE HAD FORGOTTEN to hobble the horses—he remembered it when the first lightning struck and Lorena's young mare suddenly snapped her rein and ran off.†
Chpt 32-33
- But he had taken a wrap around his hand with one rein and held on, hoping the rein wouldn't snap.†
Chpt 44-45
- But he had taken a wrap around his hand with one rein and held on, hoping the rein wouldn't snap.†
Chpt 44-45
- The rein held, and Call got to his feet and caught the other rein.†
Chpt 44-45
- The rein held, and Call got to his feet and caught the other rein.†
Chpt 44-45
Definitions:
-
(1)
(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.)
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
To "rein in" or to "keep a tight rein" is to restrain.
To "give free rein" is not to restrain (not to exercise control over)