English
let loose
Verb

let loose

  1. (transitive, idiomatic) To free; to release from restraint.
    • 1892, Robert Louis Stevenson, A Footnote to History, ch. 2:
      I can imagine the man . . . prepared to oppress rival firms, overthrow inconvenient monarchs, and let loose the dogs of war.
    • 1916, Arthur Conan Doyle, "A Glimpse of the French Line" in A Visit to Three Fronts:
      May God's curse rest upon the arrogant men and the unholy ambitions which let loose this horror upon humanity!
    • 2010 March 27, "Tennis: Venus wins ↗," USA Today (retrieved 22 July 2011):
      Mardy Fish walloped the final shot of the match for a winner, and he let loose a jubilant roar of his own.
  2. (intransitive, idiomatic, sometimes followed by with or on) To shout, make a loud sound, or perform a sudden, vehement action; to behave in a raucous, frenzied manner.
    • 1901, Harold MacGrath, The Puppet Crown, ch. 17:
      He set his teeth, and let loose with a fury before which nothing could stand; and Maurice was forced back step by step until he was almost up with the wall.
    • 1965 Nov. 12, "[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,834582,00.html Jazz: The Newest Sound]," Time:
      Thus encouraged, the Tijuana Brass let loose with its patented version of The Lonely Bull.
    • 2005 Dec.27, "Report: Jack Black recalls 'lost weekend' ↗," USA Today (retrieved 22 July 2011):
      As if a giant ape weren't enough to get Jack Black going in King Kong, the actor says he let loose one time while making the film.
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