velvet handcuffs

English

Pronunciation
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Noun

velvet handcuffs pl (plural only)

  1. Used other than with a figurative or idiomatic meaning: see velvet,‎ handcuffs.
  2. (idiomatic) Golden handcuffs: any arrangement designed to provide favorable benefits or pay so as to discourage a participant from wanting to leave it.
    • 2000, Jack A. Green, Contact: a Guide to Developing Effective Call Centre Skills:
    • 2004 March 13, Billboard, volume 116, number 11, page 11:
      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.
    • 2011, Christopher Shulgan, The Soviet Ambassador: The Making of the Radical Behind Perestroika:
      The transfer sounded prestigious, but it was definitely a demotion. This was the style of the Brezhnev Politburo: velvet handcuffs, but handcuffs nevertheless.

Synonyms
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