velvet handcuffs
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.10 in modern English
33
Scrabble Score
15
Letters
3
Syllables
12
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Golden handcuffs: any arrangement designed to provide favorable benefits or pay so as to discourage a participant from choosing to leave it.
noun
Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see velvet, handcuffs.
Example Sentences
- "If turnover is low, is this for good reasons or because staff have no other opportunities or are trapped by "velvet handcuffs" — are dissatisfied and would like to leave, but the money is too good."
- "Inevitably, it turns out, singing other people's songs or having to collaborate with one's bandmates can sometimes feel like a prison sentence, albeit one with velvet handcuffs and minimum security."
- "The transfer sounded prestigious, but it was definitely a demotion. This was the style of the Brezhnev Politburo: velvet handcuffs, but handcuffs nevertheless."