twist around little finger

twist (someone) around (one's) (little) finger

To gain complete control or dominance over someone; to make someone do whatever one wishes. The spoiled little brat has completely twisted his parents around his little finger. It's plain for everyone to see that Sarah is twisting the boss around her finger. Ms. Smith gave Ben extra credit again. I hate the way he twists her around his little finger.

See also: around, finger, twist

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

twist someone around one's little finger

 and wind someone around one's little finger

Fig. to manipulate and control someone. Bob really fell for Jane. She can twist him around her little finger. Billy's mother has wound him around her little finger. He's very dependent on her.

See also: around, finger, little, twist

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

twist/wind around one's little finger, to

To exert a strong influence or complete control (on or over someone). This hyperbole dates from the nineteenth century. J. L. Motley used it in Rise of the Dutch Republic (1855): “She had already turned that functionary around her finger.” A more violent twentieth-century locution is to twist someone’s arm, a form of none too gentle persuasion. However, it often is used jocularly, as in, “You twisted my arm,” meaning either “You talked me into it” or “I don’t need to be persuaded to do this; I’d do it anyway.”

See also: around, little, to, twist, wind

The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer