Dictionary
Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.
velvet handcuffs en · NOUN
Pronunciation
Meanings
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(idiomatic, plural, plural-only) Golden handcuffs: any arrangement designed to provide favorable benefits or pay so as to discourage a participant from choosing to leave it.
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.
2000, Jack A. Green, Contact: a Guide to Developing Effective Call Centre Skills:The transfer sounded prestigious, but it was definitely a demotion. This was the style of the Brezhnev Politburo: velvet handcuffs, but handcuffs nevertheless.
2011, Christopher Shulgan, The Soviet Ambassador: The Making of the Radical Behind Perestroika: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.
2004 March 13, Billboard, volume 116, number 11, page 11:
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(plural, plural-only) Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see velvet, handcuffs.
Synonyms
golden handcuffs