Respectfully, I disagree; "keeping him in line" said in "jest" in Australia, is a statement used to cover up & make light of inappropriate, bad or so-called larikin-ish (usually male) behaviour, with an inherent underlying suggestion of risk-taking & immaturity in the one who has to be "kept in line". It also suggests that responsibility & taking care of things properly rests with the individual (usually female, a mother role, so to speak) tasked with keeping the other immature party "in line", which can lead to resentment by the party being "kept in line". This seemingly innocent phrase carries a lot of weight, imo. When I first read it in SM's job/role description at the family business, this phrase stood out to me regarding her personal & professional relationship with her husband & business partner. I think I read that SM & MM were teen sweethearts? If that was the case, SM would have had to have been "keeping him in line" for a long time :-( . Someone being "kept in line", especially over a long time, may well end up resenting being "kept in line" at some point. Or they may be fearful &/or angry if it looks like they were going to lose the person keeping them "in line", as then who will be responsible for their actions & risk taking?! Who will make things right?! Not the person who needs to be "kept in line". Really, few people want to have to be another person's "keeper". While this is my opinion only, I speak from personal experience of having being married to a so-called "larrikin" risk taker for 30 years, who I finally left when the kids were grown, as I was over being his keeper & keeping him in line. I note that when a woman leaves, or intends to a leave a relationship, is the most high-risk time for her. I also note that "tradies industries" are amongst the most misogynistic in Australia, so just because "keeping him in line" may be a seemingly "normalised" phrase in "tradies industry", this does not make it ok.
