draw in horns and pull in horns

draw in (one's) horns

To act more cautiously than one did before. I just got this quarter's budget report, and we definitely need to draw in our horns and spend less going forward.See also: draw, horn

pull in (one's) horns

To begin to act more cautiously. I just got this quarter's budget report, and we definitely need to pull in our horns and spend less going forward.See also: horn, pull

draw in one's horns and pull in one's horns

Fig. to back down from a fight. For a minute it looked like they were gonna start sluggin' each other, but then they drew in their horns. We tried to calm him down and get him to pull in his horns.See also: and, draw, horn, pull