lower the boom on

lower the boom (on someone or something)

1. To punish someone or something harshly. He's a really strict teacher, so he'll definitely lower the boom on you if you don't do your homework. Well, Mom lowered the boom and grounded me for a month because I came home after curfew again.2. To halt something or bring about its end. I used demerits to lower the boom on silliness in my class.See also: boom, lower, someone

lower the boom on someone

Fig. to scold or punish someone severely; to crack down on someone; to throw the book at someone. If Bob won't behave better, I'll have to lower the boom on him. The teacher lowered the boom on the whole class for misbehaving.See also: boom, lower, on

lower the boom on

Scold harshly or punish severely; also, put a stop to something. For example, If you're caught smoking in school, the principal is bound to lower the boom on you, or The new radar equipment enabled the police to lower the boom on speeding. This expression refers to the boom of a sailboat-a long spar that extends from the mast to hold the foot of the sail. In a changing wind, the boom can swing wildly, leaving one at risk of being struck. [Slang; first half of 1900s] See also: boom, lower, on

lower the boom on

1 treat someone severely. 2 put a stop to an activity. informal It has been suggested that this phrase originally meant ‘knocking out an adversary with one punch’ in a fight.See also: boom, lower, on