English Explanatory Dictionary

drag the chain

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To fall behind relative to others.
  2. To unwittingly hold up progress.
  3. To deliberately hold up progress by acting slowly.

Word forms

drag the chain drags the chain dragging the chain dragged the chain

Etymology

The term stems from the railway industry when chains and hooks connected the carriages or goods trucks. If the rear chain came loose from the secured position, it would then drag on the ground slowing progress.

Related words

drag-chain
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
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