under someone's thumb
Meaning: Under someone's control.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Category: Body & Senses
Origin: The expression suggests a dramatic difference between the person in control and the person who is controlled, the latter being so small or so weak as to be held down by a thumb.
More idioms — Body & Senses
- with bated breath — Hardly breathing at all because of fear, excitement, or other strong emotion.
- Tomber dans les pommes — Suddenly losing consciousness — possibly derived from the older expression 'être dans les…
- Avoir la moutarde qui monte au nez — To be getting angry.
- Couper les cheveux en quatre — To over-analyze or split hairs.
- Se regarder le nombril — To be self-centered or narcissistic.
- Tomaten auf den Augen haben — To be oblivious to what's right in front of you.
More English idioms
- when hell freezes over — Never.
- beat about the bush — To speak or write evasively; to talk around an issue.
- beat the bushes — To search exhaustively.
- between the devil and the deep blue sea — Facing two difficult outcomes for the same situation.
- down to earth — Practical and rational; unpretentious.
- fair-weather friend — A person who is loyal in good times but not when times are difficult.
Loading the full interactive collection…