clip the wings of

clip the wings of (third-person singular simple present clips the wings of, present participle clipping the wings of, simple past and past participle clipped the wings of)

1. To trim the flight feathers of a bird, usually poultry, to prevent flight.
2. (figurative, of a person or organisation) To prevent from acting freely.
   • 2021 December 1, Paul Stephen, “Network News: TfL funding crisis: Mayor fears cuts to Tube services”, in RAIL, page 29, comment by Mayor Sadiq Khan:

     "[...] Clipping the wings of London is not the answer if you want other cities and regions to soar."

• clip someone's wings

• “clip the wings of”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.