Definition of "training wheels" []

• A pair of small wheels attached to the rear axle of a bicycle so that beginning riders can ride without falling over. (noun-plural)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Casey, Abizaid, and Rumsfeld were also supported by almost all of the senior leaders of the U.S. military who advocated lowering the profile of U.S. forces to put more of an Iraqi “face” on the occupation, on the theory that American soldiers were antibodies in the Arab world and that, in any event, Iraqis had to “take the training wheels off” and learn to drive their own bike themselves."