Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

drag the chain

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.13 in modern English

Syllables
drag the chain
IPA
22
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
1
Syllables
10
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To fall behind relative to others.

Informal

verb

To unwittingly hold up progress.

Informal

verb

To deliberately hold up progress by acting slowly.

Informal

Etymology

The term stems from the railway industry when chains and hooks connected the carriages or goods trucks. If the rear chain came loose from the secured position, it would then drag on the ground slowing progress.

Usage

Inflected Forms

drags the chain (present, singular) dragging the chain (participle, present) dragged the chain (participle, past) dragged the chain (past)

Phrases

drag-chain

Frequently Paired Words

drag-chain

Questions

What does drag the chain mean?
To fall behind relative to others.
Where does drag the chain come from?
The term stems from the railway industry when chains and hooks connected the carriages or goods trucks. If the rear chain came loose from the secured position, it would then drag on the ground slowing progress.

How to pronounce drag the chain

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “drag the chain”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “drag the chain”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “drag the chain” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.