stranglehold

Etymology

From strangle + hold.

stranglehold means A grip or control so strong as to stifle or cut off. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 80 out of 100.

Why “stranglehold” is a great word

STRANGLEHOLD — [Noun] A grip or control so strong as to stifle, suppress, or completely dominate. From the verb 'strangle' (to choke or throttle) + the noun 'hold' (a grip or grasp). First recorded in use 1886–1890 in the context of wrestling. Unlike a 'monopoly,' which claims a market, or a 'grip,' which merely secures, a stranglehold is domination with a taste of extinction. It is the wrestler's arm locked across a windpipe, the silent censorship of a repressive regime, or the inexorable debt that crushes a family's future—the definitive metaphor for any power that seeks not to direct, but to stop from breathing.

noun

A grip or control so strong as to stifle or cut off.“For years the company had a stranglehold on the rest of the industry.”

verb

To hold a tight grip or control.“"She does not hold a partner; she strangleholds him. As soon as a man realizes how tightly she holds on, he leaves her."”