putty in someone's hands
1
8.1
- idiom
- Informal
:
manejable
- She felt like putty in his hands after their conversation.
Examples
-
Since the interview began, the candidate was putty in her hands and agreed to every suggestion.
-
The clever lawyer made the witness feel like putty in his hands during cross-examination.
-
As soon as he heard her praise, he became putty in their hands.
-
Don't be putty in her hands!
-
She felt like putty in someone's hands as her boss made all the decisions for her career.
-
After years of flattery, he became putty in someone's hands, always agreeing with everything she said.
-
The team was like putty in someone's hands, easily swayed by their coach's persuasive tactics.
Synonyms
3
5.4
Easily accepts other people's ideas
Antonyms
How Influenced
- Informal
1
8.1
1
6.5
984
2.3
20
4.3
Surface Forms
Morphology
putty + in + someone's + hands
The image of 'putty' (a soft, malleable substance) being 'in someone's hands' directly conveys being easily shaped or controlled, so the overall meaning is readily derivable from the constituent words. This is a transparent, cross-linguistically accessible metaphor of malleability and control that a B1 learner who knows the parts is likely to understand.
Etymology
The idiom putty in someone's hands comes from the soft material putty, which you can press and shape with your hands. So, if someone is 'putty in someone's hands', it means they are 'easily controlled' by another person.