velvet handcuffs
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
A highly compensated or prestigious job that restricts freedom
Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt
công việc được trả lương cao hoặc danh giá nhưng hạn chế tự do
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Literally: restraining cuffs made of velvet
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
She feels trapped in her corporate job, which has become velvet handcuffs
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “velvet handcuffs” mean?
A highly compensated or prestigious job that restricts freedom Literally: restraining cuffs made of velvet
Is “velvet handcuffs” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.