bring to heel

From the command to make a dog closely follow its master.

• "They wanted a lesson, and they would get it; but it would take three months at least to bring them to heel."
• "Even some fellow Conservatives maintain that Sir William has shown a dangerously authoritarian streak since enlisting as a general in Mrs. Thatcher's single-minded campaign to bring broadcasters to heel."
• "In reference to black teenagers, "We also have to have an organized effort against gangs…. They are not just gangs of kids anymore. They are often the kinds of kids that are called superpredators. No conscience, no empathy. We can talk about why they ended up that way, but first we have to bring them to heel."
• "Now Pasha says the ISI is the only organization that can bring the wayward Taliban to heel."
• "We know that Putin has vastly improved Russia’s armed forces, adding everything from hypersonic missile capabilities to advanced cyberwarfare tools. He has the firepower to bring Ukraine to heel."
• "Network Rail, which had been able to secure funding from a multitude of 'patient capital' players across the world, was brought to heel, its credit card scissored."