IdiomBody & Senses
English
Englishunder someone's thumb
Meaning: Under someone's control.
Example: “He's completely under his older sister's thumb.”
Equivalents in other languages
Russian: под башмаком (pod bashmakóm) Literally: Under the shoe
Origin: The image is of pressing something down with the thumb so it cannot move. The phrase for being under someone's control is recorded from the 18th century.
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