bridle

plural bridles

1. equestrianismThe headgear with which a horse is directed and which carries a bit and reins.

   […] the horseman, who is the user of bridles and knows their use

   1961, J. A. Philip, “Mimesis in the Sophistês”, in Proceedings and Transactions of the American Philological Association, 92, p. 457

2. figurativelyA restraint; a curb; a check.

   Let wisdom put a bridle on them before they are grown head-strong and unruly

   1729, Isaac Watts, The Doctrine of the Passions explain'd and improv'd

3. A length of line or cable attached to two parts of something to spread the force of a pull, as the rigging on a kite for attaching line.
4. A mooring hawser.
5. A piece in the interior of a gunlock which holds in place the tumbler, sear, etc.
6. A gesture expressing pride or vanity.

present singular third person bridles · participle present bridling · participle past bridled · past bridled

1. transitiveTo put a bridle on.

   He bridled her mouth with a silkweed twist.

   1835, Joseph Rodman Drake, The Culprit Fay

2. transitiveTo check, restrain, or control with, or as if with, a bridle; as in bridle your tongue.

   Savoy and Nice, the keys of Italy, and the citadel in her hands to bridle Switzerland, are in that consolidation.

   1795–1797, Edmund Burke, “(please specify |letter=1 to 4)”, in [Letters on a Regicide Peace], London: [Rivington]

3. intransitiveTo show hostility or resentment.

   Immigrant-rights and religious organizations bridled at the plan to favor highly skilled workers over relatives. (Houston Chronicle, 6/8/2007)

4. intransitiveTo hold up one's head proudly or affectedly.