get (someone) under (one's) thumb
To gain authoritarian control over someone; to force someone to submit to one's will. I know it isn't my business, but I hate the way Janet has gotten her husband under her thumb like that. The job pays well, but I hear the boss likes to get everyone under his thumb. I know he's always been strict, but the more he tries to get his kids under his thumb, the more they're going to rebel later in life.
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