• Become tense
• Become uptight
• Decrease play
• Draw tight
• Draw tighter, as a rope
• Free of slack
• Get more rigid
• Give less slack
• Make tense
• Make tight
• Pull on a rope
• Pull tight
• Remove slack from
• Remove the slack
• Strain, in a way
• Stretch
• Stretch tight
• Take up the slack
• Tense up
• Tense up, as muscles
1) туго натягивать, напрягать
2) натягиваться, напрягаться