put the brakes on
Meaning: If you put the brakes on something, you stop it or slow it down.
For example:
Many companies are putting the brakes on new investment until the economy improves.
The government has to put the brakes on the water treatment project until the corruption enquiry is over.
It's the government's latest effort to put the brakes on rising prices.
There are indications, however, that the government is now trying to put the brakes on further expansion.
Origin: This metaphorical idiom is based on the fact that if you're driving a car and you "put the brakes on", the car slows down and stops.
