to pull strings
64
6.0
- phrasal verb
:
mover los hilos
- Hell, I'll even pull some strings, get you a cushy civilian job on the force.
- pull strings to get
- pull a few strings
- pull the puppet strings
But of course, he's pulling all the strings with without doubt in every respect.
- But of course, he's pulling all the strings with without doubt in every respect.
- He knows exactly how to pull the right strings.
- And then the second question is, who's pulling your strings?
- I think it is the courtiers around Charles that pull all the strings.
- Do you think these people pulling the strings saying get rid of that, take that e-mail out.
- And then I also, to your point about this sick, demented, whoever's pulling the strings here, they want servants over citizens.
- So it's not the character, it's the writer pulling strings to get the character to do that so that the story will work out.
- They get to pull the strings of the puppet show and that means that they just push themselves into your life and do what they want.
- I perhaps as the as the Burkean, maybe the Burkeans pulling my strings.
- But he's, he has the presence behind the curtains or to say and he's still pulling strings around.
Examples
-
Maybe I could pull a few strings and you could spend the summer working with your old man.
-
If you need help getting a promotion, I can pull strings for you.
-
You know, these days, I can pull a few strings.
-
In turn, I'll pull some strings with the powers that be.
Fiction book (1996) -
From here, I can pull the strings just as effectively as if I were down in New York or London.
Fiction book (2001) -
Whoever is controlling his staff and pulling his strings is the one to worry about.
Blog text (22) -
If you're interested, I can pull a few strings.
-
Seems he's the one pulling all the strings on climate policy at the BBC.
Blog text (32) -
Sheriff Foley pulled some strings and got Mandy's address.
Fiction book (1996) -
The director was able to pull strings to get the project approved.
Synonyms
382
6.1
To control people or things in a clever, often dishonest way
14
7.4
To use secret or unfair actions to gain power at work
1
4.4
Get someone to agree or do something by pressuring them
To secretly get people to do what you want for personal gain
How Influential
Surface Forms
Morphology
pull + strings
The phrase uses a metaphorical mapping (like pulling puppet strings) so the idea of covert control is connected to the literal words, but that connection is not fully predictable for an average B1 learner who only knows the literal meanings of 'pull' and 'strings'. Cross-linguistic equivalents (e.g. Spanish 'mover los hilos', French 'tirer les ficelles') make the metaphor more guessable for some learners, so the expression is partially but not completely transparent.
Etymology
Pull strings comes from the image of a puppeteer pulling strings to make a puppet move. So someone who pulls strings quietly makes things happen behind the scenes, and the phrase means 'to secretly use your influence or connections'.