Bring N.Korean Military to Heel'

No--to bring someone "to heel" means to take control of them, to "put them in their place." When you train a dog in the classic manner (at least in the world of Euro-American culture), you will train the dog to walk at your left side, and not to walk in front of you, but to remain right behind your left knee. The command for this is "heel," and when you have given that command, you are said to have "brought the dog to heel." (It's a visual metaphor of a dog walking just behind your left heel.)

In this case, the headline suggests that the military in North Korea was getting out of control, but that Kim Yong-chun will bring them under control--bring them to heel.

Thank you

It also means that he will disicpline or bring discipline to the entire military structure.

There is another metaphor ("well-heeled") which means having plenty of money.

I always make my dog walk on my right side; I don't quite see why Setanta states so dogmatically [no pun intended] that they have to be on the left.

Actually, i was just repeating what dog training nazis claim, i have complete control over my dogs, and i don't force them to walk anywhere. About the only rules are that they must instantly execute any command i give them (they do), and they must not go into the street unless and until i say so (they don't).

two things occur to me here

1. Set, being a left leaning liberal walks his dog on the left while you contrex, being more of a conservative, walk yours on the right

2. The fact that Americans drive on the right and the British on the left affects which side the dog is walked on.

You weren't paying attention. In fact, usually, the boy dog is out in front at the limit of his leash, and the girl dog is behind me, hoping to find and eat garbage before i can interfere. Her belief that a walk is an exercise in foraging is the only blot on an otherwise well organized and predictable event.

"heeled" is also slang for carrying a gun" ."You heeled?" can mean "have you got a gun on you? Apparently goes back as far as the OK corral and it's been used on supposedly argot-current TV shows.

I hardly ever do

And who would blame you . . .