under one's thumb en · ADP
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Meanings
-
(idiomatic) Completely controlled by someone; at someone's command.
...when you find a man under his wife's thumb you can always be sure there's a soft spot in him somewhere.
1912, Willa Cather, The Bohemian Girl::`Fatty's under the thumb. Yeah it's not hard to see who wears the pants in that family. The wuss.'
1995, Paul Vautin, Turn It Up!, Sydney: Pan Macmillan Australia, page 144:She has the entire crew under her thumb. They would do anything for her.
Relateds
over a barrel · to wear the pants · to wrap around one's little finger · henpecked
Translations (20)
cmn 怕老婆的 (under one's thumb) · ru под каблуко́м (under one's thumb) · de unter jemandes Fuchtel (under one's thumb) · hu az uralma alatt (under one's thumb) · es macabeo (under one's thumb) · ja 鼻下長 (under one's thumb) · fi tossun alla (under one's thumb) · sh u šaci (under one's thumb) · ru под башмако́м (under one's thumb) · pl pod pantoflem (under one's thumb) · pl pod batem (under one's thumb) · da i sin hule hånd (under one's thumb) · sh у шаци (under one's thumb) · ja 女房天下 (under one's thumb) · gd fo mhaide na poite (under one's thumb) · ja 二本棒 (under one's thumb) · it essere succube (di qualcuno) (under one's thumb) · cy dan wab (under one's thumb) · fi tossutettu (under one's thumb) · ru подкаблу́чник (under one's thumb)