training wheels
nounUK /ˈtɹeɪnɪŋ wiːlz/ · US /ˈtreɪnɪŋ ˌ(h)wilz/
Etymology From training wheel + -s (suffix forming pluralia tantum and regular plurals of nouns).
1
Figuratively Anything designed to make something easier for a novice.
- Kick off the training wheels, Corporal. He's good to go.2007 September 25, Bungie, Halo 3, spoken by Avery Johnson (David Scully), Microsoft Game Studios, Xbox 360, level/area: Arrival:
- Yet as with Booksmart, the summer's earlier riff on that Apatovian classic, there are times when Good Boys feels a little too nice to actually be uproarious. In more ways than one, it's the training wheels for a better comedy—a slightly edgier and funnier one.2019 August 14, A. A. Dowd, “Good Boys Puts a Tween Spin on the R-rated Teen Comedy, to Mostly Funny Effect”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 04 Mar 2021:
- Derived terms
- with training wheels