clamp down

Mint seems to relax the muscle that keeps the valve at the top of the stomach clamped down, increasing the odds of reflux.

Over the last three decades, the party has enacted a broad array of economic reforms, even as it has clamped down hard on dissent.

He said his lenders have also clamped down on his spending and cut his salary in half.

In the run-up to the 2008 Olympics and during the Games, officials clamped down on indoor smoking in Beijing.

The Libyan leader's regime clamped down in its stronghold in the capital, where residents said food prices have skyrocketed.

A tougher editor might have clamped down on some of Mr Bryson's lazy habits, such as the tiresome re-use of the phrase "very real" .

In May this year, the State Council clamped down on the use of gift cards which are often used to bribe public officials.

The Iranian authorities have clamped down on memorial services for a dissident cleric amid growing political unrest in the country.

After a few days, Beijing clamped down on the violence.

At first, Melanie wanted to hold Scarlett's hand when the pain was bad but she clamped down on it so hard she nearly broke the bones.

Addressing perceived internal threats, the regime clamped down on private market activities earlier this year.

But now the clouds clamped down and a sharp scent of sulfur and putrid fish wafted on a dank puff of air.

Backed by non-governmental organisations and local businesses, the local police force has clamped down on the drugs trade.

So it clamped down on attempts, both domestic and from international aid organisations, to respond to rising hunger.

As the strike dragged on, Beijing gradually clamped down on reporting on the strike.

George: Off the record , I'm glad he clamped down on them. How are things now ?

After the explosion , police clamped down and let no more visitors inside the building .

Kula, taking a deep breath, clamped down on the seat, determined to claim her prize.

Recently the police clamped down on the press and the internet.

The police clamped down on illegal drugs.

The 16-foot shark had clamped down on his back with three rows of razor-sharp teeth.

It happened in the mid-1990s, when then-Premier Zhu Rongji clamped down on the overheating economy.

The government clamped down a deadline after which all pornographic books and periodicals were to disappear.

Police have clamped down on illegal parking in the area.

However, this is still well below the 6. 5m people it was feeding before 2006, when Kim Jong-il's regime clamped down on aid agencies.

They clamped down on the newspapers.

To make sure the spectacle went smoothly, the public security forces clamped down.

The recent credit crunch has clamped down on all of us.

Beijing has clamped down hard on the property market, fearing excessive price rises could fuel social unrest.

They clamped down on drug pushers.

The authorities clamped down further on the internet, helping to drive Google offshore.

The shark clamped down his ankle while he was surfing south of the Daytona Beach. He has more stitches than the doctors could count.

Once it became clear dissenters were turning their criticism on China, they clamped down.

That is when the regime has clamped down hard before, forcing Miss Suu Kyi to endure years of house arrest.

The government has "clamped down" mainly by raising interest rates, as shown in Figure 2.

I'm glad he clamped down on them.

They have clamped down on mobile phone operators in the wake of 2008 attacks that killed 166 people in Mumbai.

In the final quarter of last year officials clamped down on lending, especially on property, to avoid overheating.