drag the chain

verb

To fall behind relative to others.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

verbdrag the chain (third-person singular simple present drags the chain, present participle dragging the chain, simple past and past participle dragged the chain)

present singular third person drags the chain · participle present dragging the chain · participle past dragged the chain · past dragged the chain

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

Origin

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.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

drag the chain. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/drag%20the%20chain

MLA

“drag the chain.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/drag%20the%20chain. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “drag the chain,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/drag%20the%20chain.

Source: drag the chain on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.