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bridle
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
bridle
I.noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a bridle path (=for people riding horses)
▪ He knows all the bridle paths through the woods.
bridle path
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ NOUN
path
▪ She pretended a greater surprise than she felt that the leader of those upon the bridle path was Lord Wyatt.
▪ We followed a pleasant bridle path through trees and soon found ourselves listening to the sweet bubbling song of a black cap.
▪ It's criss crossed by a maze of tracks and bridle paths.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ If the rings do not align symmetrically, look for a mark on either bridle.
▪ Most kite designs specify the bridle line lengths and the attachment points.
▪ One of the men turned his horse by seizing its bridle.
▪ Riven hung on to his mount's bridle grimly whilst it bucked and reared in a desperate effort to get away.
▪ Some solo flyers claim never to change bridle settings.
▪ The boy walked up to it and pulled its head up with the bridle, leading it out of the trees.
▪ Then he heard, faintly but distinctly, the jingle of a bridle.
▪ Then he puts on a bridle and saddle.
II.verb
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ After three weeks she was still too nervous to groom, too impossible to bridle.
▪ Five horses, saddled and bridled, were tied by the reins to branches of trees.
▪ Instead they bridled, told employers to stuff their jobs and walked out, cursing themselves.
▪ The horse looked at him tranquilly, neither startled nor afraid, and suffered himself to be bridled without the least trouble.
▪ The horses had been bridled and yoked to the car.
▪ Wasn't Puffy worried that the star sensibilities in the audience might bridle at his parade of skins?
▪ We live in a knowledge-based economy, in which educated workers bridle at commands and demand autonomy.
Related phrases:
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Bridle

Bridle \Bri"dle\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bridled; p. pr. & vb. n. Bridling.]

  1. To put a bridle upon; to equip with a bridle; as, to bridle a horse.

    He bridled her mouth with a silkweed twist.
    --Drake.

  2. To restrain, guide, or govern, with, or as with, a bridle; to check, curb, or control; as, to bridle the passions; to bridle a muse.
    --Addison.

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

    Syn: To check; restrain; curb; govern; control; repress; master; subdue.

Bridle

Bridle \Bri"dle\, n. [OE. bridel, AS. bridel; akin to OHG. britil, brittil, D. breidel, and possibly to E. braid. Cf. Bridoon.]

  1. The head gear with which a horse is governed and restrained, consisting of a headstall, a bit, and reins, with other appendages.

  2. A restraint; a curb; a check.
    --I. Watts.

  3. (Gun.) The piece in the interior of a gun lock, which holds in place the tumbler, sear, etc.

  4. (Naut.)

    1. A span of rope, line, or chain made fast as both ends, so that another rope, line, or chain may be attached to its middle.

    2. A mooring hawser. Bowline bridle. See under Bowline. Branches of a bridle. See under Branch. Bridle cable (Naut.), a cable which is bent to a bridle. See 4, above. Bridle hand, the hand which holds the bridle in riding; the left hand. Bridle path, Bridle way, a path or way for saddle horses and pack horses, as distinguished from a road for vehicles. Bridle port (Naut.), a porthole or opening in the bow through which hawsers, mooring or bridle cables, etc., are passed. Bridle rein, a rein attached to the bit. Bridle road.

      1. Same as Bridle path.
        --Lowell.

      2. A road in a pleasure park reserved for horseback exercise.

        Bridle track, a bridle path.

        Scolding bridle. See Branks, 2.

        Syn: A check; restrain.

Bridle

Bridle \Bri"dle\, v. i. To hold up the head, and draw in the chin, as an expression of pride, scorn, or resentment; to assume a lofty manner; -- usually with up. ``His bridling neck.''
--Wordsworth.

By her bridling up I perceived she expected to be treated hereafter not as Jenny Distaff, but Mrs. Tranquillus.
--Tatler.

Related phrases:
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
bridle

Old English bridel "bridle, rein, curb, restraint," related to bregdan "move quickly," from Proto-Germanic *bregdilaz (see braid (v.)).

bridle

"to control, dominate," c.1200, from Old English bridlian "to fit with a bridle," from bridel (see bridle (n.)). Meaning "to throw up the head" (as a horse does when reined in) is from mid-15c. Related: Bridled; bridling.

Wiktionary
bridle

n. 1 The headgear with which a horse is directed and which carries a bit and reins. 2 (context figurative English) A restraint; a curb; a check. 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. vb. 1 (context transitive English) To put a bridle on. 2 (context transitive English) To check, restrain, or control with, or as if with, a bridle; as in ''bridle your tongue''. 3 (context intransitive English) To show hostility or resentment.

Related phrases:
WordNet
bridle

  1. n. headgear for a horse; includes a headstall and bit and reins to give the rider or driver control

  2. the act of restraining power or action or limiting excess; "his common sense is a bridle to his quick temper" [syn: check, curb]

bridle

  1. v. put a bridle on; "bridle horses"

  2. respond to the reins, as of horses

Related phrases:
Wikipedia
Bridle

A bridle is a piece of equipment used to direct a horse. As defined in the Oxford English Dictionary, the "bridle" includes both the headstall that holds a bit that goes in the mouth of a horse, and the reins that are attached to the bit.

Headgear without a bit that uses a noseband to control a horse is called a hackamore, or, in some areas, a bitless bridle. There are many different designs with many different name variations, but all use a noseband that is designed to exert pressure on sensitive areas of the animal's face to provide direction and control.

Bridle (disambiguation)

Bridle usually refers to headgear worn by horses and other animals that are ridden or driven (as opposed to a Halter which is used for leading animals). The term may also refer to:

Related phrases:

Usage examples of "bridle".

Although his hands were still stiff with cold, the bardling managed to get his mule bridled and saddled.

They were bedizened with every medallion and trinket imaginable, with ornate saddles and bridles of dyed leather, fabulous blankets, brilliant colors.

We fondly kissed goodbye, she bade me take care of myself, I bridled pretty Pegasus, picked up Polyeidus, winged northwestward in high spirits.

Harry ran to his own tent, snatched up his arms and blanket-roll, saddled and bridled his horse, and well within five minutes was riding by the side of Captain Sherburne.

Harry ran to his horse, which had been left saddled and bridled for any emergency.

Aislinn bridled at this uncalled-for command, but his broad back had swung and he was already striding to the door.

Rhenna bridled and saddled Chaimon and the mare, and stuffed her saddlepack with provisions, leaving Derinoe the greater part.

Five minutes later, when he came out with the pony saddled and bridled, he found that Betty and Malcolm had gone.

He went down to the corral, roped the most gentle and best appearing one of the two horses he had bought in Lazette, caught up his own horse, Blackleg, and brought them to the stable, where he saddled and bridled them.

All the horses had been saddled and bridled, and were eager to be off.

When he heard her music and sensed she was at the brink of release, he bridled her fulfillment by changing the rhythm of the movement of his hips.

Patches up and working with Omega, still on the lunge line but now bridled and under a saddle with the stirrups removed, she took a few minutes with Major.

Athene, who was most certainly on the verge of speaking to me, might instruct me when I found her voice to clear myself with Aphrodite or my father Poseidon before bridling the winged horse.

Already her palfrey had been saddled and Edwin held the bridle and drew the horse close to the mounting block, then assisted Gisela into the saddle.

The horse, which was young and strong, had lain down in the furrow, and although the ploughman was yanking his bridle, urging him, stroking, threatening, cursing, and lashing him, the animal would not move and stubbornly refused to get up.