Loosely enforced

It’s often illegal to set off fireworks in a larger town or a city, but this rule is more loosely enforced on July 4. When a rule is “loosely enforced,” it means that the police (or other authorities) tend not to enforce the rule strictly. On the Fourth of July, you don’t generally get in trouble for setting off fireworks unless you do something dangerous. On other days, though, the rule is more strictly enforced. When I was little, my bed time was 8:00 pm. Then, my parents let me stay awake until 9:00 pm. As the years went by, my bed time was more loosely enforced: sometimes I could stay up a little later as long as I didn’t stay up too late. It wasn’t as strict as it was before; it was more loosely enforced.