cracking down
Getting tough on
Cracking down is taking stricter action to enforce rules or suppress undesirable behavior.
Authorities crack down on crime, tax evasion, or illegal immigration.
The phrase implies a shift from tolerance or lax enforcement to aggressive intervention: Police are cracking down on speeding in school zones.
The noun form is crackdown: The crackdown on dissent intensified.
- clampdownHarsh enforcement of restrictions
- suppressionForcible prevention or concealment
- enforcementCompelling compliance with rules
- law enforcementUpholding legal codes
- prohibitionAuthoritative legal ban
sanctions · tax evasion · organized crime · accountability · seize · restrictions · border control · intervention · punishment · policing · regulation · loopholes · censorship · zero tolerance · no nonsense · penalties · compliance · oversight
cracking downturning a blind eye
Intentionally disregarding something obvious
letting slide · looking the other way · tolerating · permitting · allowing
cracking downlooking away
Directing eyes elsewhere
neglecting · disregarding · tuning out · burying one's head in the sand
cracking downeasing up
Reducing intensity gradually
letting up · loosening up · backing off · deregulating · liberalizing
crack, cracking, cracks, cracked, cracker, crackers, down, downs, downed