…
Concise Oxford English Dictionary
cringe
krɪn(d)ʒ
■ verb (cringes, cringing, cringed)
bend one’s head and body in fear or apprehension or in a servile manner.
experience an inward shiver of embarrassment or disgust.
■ noun an act of cringing.

cringer noun

ME crenge, crenche, related to OE cringan, crincan ‘bend, yield, fall in battle’, of Gmc origin and related to crank1.
…
Concise Oxford Thesaurus
cringe
▶ verb
she cringed as he bellowed in her ear: COWER, shrink, recoil, shy away, flinch, blench, draw back; shake, tremble, quiver, quail, quake.
it makes me cringe when I think of it: WINCE, shudder, squirm, feel embarrassed/mortified.
…
Merriam-Webster Collegiate® Dictionary
1cringe
Pronunciation: ‘krinj
Function: intransitive verb
Inflected Form: cringed ; cring·ing
Etymology: Middle English crengen; akin to Old English cringan to yield, Middle High German krank weak
Date: 13th century

1 : to draw in or contract one’s muscles involuntarily (as from cold or pain)
2 : to shrink in fear or servility
3 : to behave in an excessively humble or servile way
4 : to recoil in distaste
synonyms see FAWN
–cring·er noun
2cringe
Function: noun
Date: 1597

: a cringing act specifically : a servile bow

…
Concise Oxford English Dictionary
bridle
■ noun
the headgear used to control a horse, consisting of buckled straps to which a bit and reins are attached.
Nautical a mooring cable.
■ verb
put a bridle on.
bring under control.
show resentment or anger.

OE brīdel (n.), brīdlian (v.), of Gmc origin.
…
Concise Oxford Thesaurus
bridle
▶ noun a horse’s bridle: HARNESS, headgear.
▶ verb
she bridled at his tone: BRISTLE, take offence, take umbrage, be affronted, be offended, get angry.
he bridled his indignation: CURB, restrain, hold back, control, check, rein in/back; suppress, stifle; informal keep a/the lid on.
…
Merriam-Webster Collegiate® Dictionary
bridle path
Function: noun
Date: 1811

: a trail suitable for horseback riding
1bri·dle
Pronunciation: ‘brī-dəl
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English bridel, from Old English brīdel; akin to Old English bregdan to move quickly ― more at BRAID
Date: before 12th century

1 : the headgear with which a horse is governed and which carries a bit and reins
2 : a length of line or cable attached to two parts of something to spread the force of a pull especially : rigging on a kite for attaching line
3 : CURB, RESTRAINT
2bridle
Function: verb
Inflected Form: bri·dled ; bri·dling \’brīd-liŋ, ‘brī-dəl-iŋ\
Date: before 12th century

transitive verb
1 : to put a bridle on
2 : to restrain, check, or control with or as if with a bridle
intransitive verb : to show hostility or resentment (as to an affront to one’s pride or dignity) especially by drawing back the head and chin
synonyms see RESTRAIN

meritocracy ˌmɛrɪ’tɒkrəsi ■ noun (plural meritocracies) government by people selected according to merit. ▶a society governed by meritocracy. ▶a ruling or influential class of educated people. meritocrat noun meritocratic -tə’kratɪk adjective … EngMac meritocracy меритократија … Merriam-Webster Collegiate® Dictionary mer·i·toc·ra·cy Pronunciation: ˌmer-ə-‘tä-krə-sē Function: noun Inflected Form: plural -cies Etymology: 1merit + -o- + -cracy Date: 1958 1 : a system in which the talented are chosen and moved ahead on the basis of their achievement 2 : leadership selected on the basis of intellectual criteria –mer·it·o·crat·ic \ˌmer-ə-tə-‘kra-tik\ adjective