Under your thumb
Suggest a CorrectionMeaning
Being controlled or dominated by someone, submissive to their will like a digit pressed firmly down, with no room to wriggle free.
Origin
From 18th-century England, possibly tied to pressing a thumb on coins or seals to claim ownership-literal control turned metaphor. A 1748 novel uses 'under my thumb' for a wife's rule, and by the 19th century, it was common, as in an 1860s tale of a bossed husband. It reflects a hierarchical age of authority, growing into an idiom of domination with a tactile, personal edge.
Variants
- Under the thumb
Usage Examples
- He's got her under his thumb; she does everything he says.
- She kept the team under her thumb with strict rules.
- I won't stay under your thumb anymore; I'm leaving!
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