Run a Tight Ship

What it means

Manage something strictly, with everybody clear on what they are meant to be doing.

Where it comes from

A tight ship originally meant a watertight one rather than a strictly run one. The sense of discipline arrived later, once tight had picked up its meaning of well ordered and under control.

The puzzle it came from

Run a Tight Ship was the answer to the Phrasicle of November 17, 2025. The clue read ____ a ____ ____, and the words came out of a grid where every neighbouring pair makes a two-word phrase.

Play today's Phrasicle Play the November 17, 2025 puzzle

Phrases like this one

• In the Long Run
• Run Its Course
• Run of the Mill
• Run Out of Steam