straitjacket

== English == === Alternative forms === strait jacket, strait-jacket, straightjacket (less common) === Etymology === From strait (“restrictive”) + jacket. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈstɹeɪtˌd͡ʒækɪt/ === Noun === straitjacket (plural straitjackets) A jacketlike garment with very long sleeves which can be secured in place, thus preventing the wearer from moving their arms; often used in psychiatric hospitals to prevent patients from injuring themselves or others. Synonym: (dated) straitwaistcoat (figurative) Any situation seen as confining or restricting. 2009, Michael Giffin, Quadrant, November 2009, No. 461 (Volume LIII, Number 11), Quadrant Magazine Limited, page 99: [I]f we remain in one discipline, we remain in a straitjacket; an adequate theory of language evolution requires a lot of interdisciplinary work. ==== Related terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === Verb === straitjacket (third-person singular simple present straitjackets, present participle straitjacketing, simple past and past participle straitjacketed) (literally, transitive) To put someone into a straitjacket. Synonym: jacket (figuratively, transitive, by extension) To restrict the freedom of someone or something, either physically or psychologically. ==== Translations ==== ==== Further reading ==== straitjacket on Wikipedia.Wikipedia