with an iron fist
Meaning: With harsh, absolute control.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “The old headmaster ran the school with an iron fist.”
Category: Body & Senses
Origin: Iron stands for hardness and force. The related phrase "an iron fist in a velvet glove," for harshness under a gentle manner, is often credited to Napoleon.
Equivalents in other languages
- Russian: ежовые рукавицы (ezhovye rukavitsy) — literally: hedgehog gloves
More idioms — Body & Senses
- all brawn and no brain — Physically strong but not clever.
- until one is blue in the face — For as long as one likes, with no result.
- take matters into one's own hands — To act oneself because others have failed to.
- all in one's head — Imagined rather than real, or a matter of attitude.
- stink to high heaven — To smell terrible; also, to seem very dishonest.
- dig one's heels in — To refuse stubbornly to change one's mind.
More English idioms
- a trump card — A decisive advantage kept in reserve.
- not turn a hair — To show no reaction at all.
- hide one's light under a bushel — To keep one's talents hidden.
- charity begins at home — One's first duty is to one's own family.
- two men and a dog — A very small crowd.
- has the cat got your tongue? — Said to someone who stays silent when they should speak.
From our untranslatable words
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