VOA慢速英语 短语学习On a Short Leash

　　Mickey Mouse, of course, is Walt Disney's famous animal drawn for movies, television and comic picture books. But what does a mouse have to do with a job?

　　In modern speech, anything that is Mickey Mouse is unimportant. Many word experts say the new meaning came from the United States Navy. The Navy had a special school for new sailors who did not co-operate. It was called M-I-C, short for Military Indoctrination Center. Sailors began to say that rules which did not seem important were MIC. Over time, MIC became Mickey Mouse -- something that lacks meaning.

　　(MUSIC)

　　This WORDS AND THEIR STORIES was written by Jeri Watson. I'm Susan Clark.

　　Susan Cleveland是芝加哥一家糖果公司年轻的总裁。她的父亲于上世纪60年代开办了这家公司，三年前去世了。现在，该公司归Susan所有。

　　Susan开始接管公司的时候，她父亲的许多雇员都非常担忧。Susan的父亲在开办这家公司之前曾经在其他糖果公司工作过许多年，非常了解这个行业。

　　然而，Susan在成为这家公司的总裁之前没有任何工作，她刚刚大学毕业。

　　在Susan第一个月的工作期间，员工们更加担心。Cleveland曾经是一个非常强有力的领导。但是Susan允许许多员工自己做决定。

　　一名员工说：“Cleveland先生总是告诉我们应该怎样做。他总是紧紧地控制着我们(on a short leash)。但是公司运转的很好。”

　　那么，a short leash是什么意思呢？

　　leash是一种绳子。我们用leash（皮带）来遛狗。皮带可以防止狗跑丢或者惹麻烦。