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/Sounds like "hah" (as in "hard") + "LAHR" (as in "lava") + "LAH" (as in "lava") + "RYEHN" + "dah" (as in "dart")/

Meaning

To rein someone in, put firm limits on behavior that is getting out of hand, or pull yourself together before things spiral. In Mexico and Colombia, the horseback metaphor applies equally to checking someone else and to self-control in a situation going off the rails.

Examples

Le jalaron la rienda antes de que cometiera un error que no tuviera solución.

They reined him in before he made a mistake with no way to fix it.

Ya es hora de que te jales la rienda y reconsideres ese plan.

It's time to pull yourself together and rethink that plan.

Word family
Regional synonyms
Bandera de Colombia
Tatequieto

In Spain, cheap and low-quality wine that's just good enough, but no one brags about drinking it. It also describes someone who looks for a fight over anything.