1
general::
Phrase(s): hold by something
to stick by a promise. • I hope that you will hold by our agreement. • I will hold by everything I said., Phrase(s): hold someone or something by something
to grasp someone or something by a particular part. • I held him by the shoulder while I talked to him. • Donna held the dog by the collar.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs