under someone's thumb
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Related to under someone's thumb: all thumbs, without a hitch
under (one's) thumb
Under another's authoritarian control; continually forced to submit to another's will. They seem happy when they're out and about, but I hear that Johnny is under his husband's thumb at home. Although the job paid well, I couldn't stand the way I was under the boss's thumb.
See also: thumb
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
under someone's thumb
Controlled or dominated by someone, as in He's been under his mother's thumb for years. The allusion in this metaphoric idiom is unclear, that is, why a thumb rather than a fist or some other anatomic part should symbolize control. [Mid-1700s]
See also: thumb
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
under someone's thumb
COMMON If someone is under another person's thumb, the second person controls them. He's completely under his mother's thumb. It's a wonder he dared move out of his room without her permission. National television is firmly under the thumb of the president. Note: You can also say that someone is under the thumb. Ian told the court how his wife kept him under the thumb during their seven-year marriage.
See also: thumb
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
under someone's thumb
completely under someone's influence or control.See also: thumb
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
under someone’s thumb
mod. under someone’s control. You can’t keep your kids under your thumb all their lives.
See also: thumb
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
under someone's thumb
Under a person’s influence or power. Why the thumb should have been singled out as a symbol of control or power is open to speculation, but it was, and as early as the mid-eighteenth century. “Authors . . . are under the thumb of booksellers,” wrote B. H. Malkin in his translation of Gil Blas (1809). The situation has not changed since Malkin’s day, and the cliché is also very much alive.
See also: thumb
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer