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Reader question: Please explain “long leash” in this sentence: The website has been given a long leash in some sections to pull in readers. My comments: Here, long leash means a lot of freedom. A lot, instead of a little. How come? The leash, you see, is a rope or chain that’s fastened to the neck of a dog, or other animals, to keep them in control. When you see people walking their dog in a public place, for example, the dog often has its leash on, especially if it’s a big or vicious looking beast. As a matter of fact, the bigger the beast, the thicker and shorter the leash. If the rope is long, that means the dog has a great area to freely roam (and spread its influence, perhaps posing a threat to people). If the rope is short, that means the owner can easily control the dog whenever they want to. Hence, the longer the leash, the greater freedom there is for the dog. The shorter the rope, the greater the control the dog’s owner has. Therefore, in our example, when the website is given a “long leash”, it means they have a lot of freedom to publish what they want to without interference from the top, or the powers that be. It’s not complete freedom, though as it is made clear that the long leash is given only “in some sections” and only to “pull in readers.” Anyways, people use the leash to rein in dogs and animals. When the term is used on people, it means the same thing, figuratively speaking, of course. | 
