Manipulation means trying to control or influence others, sometimes in tricky ways. People use manipulation in many parts of life, like at school, with friends, or even in stories and movies. In the USA, we hear about manipulation often, so knowing what it means helps us understand how people act and how to protect ourselves.
This article will explain some common idioms about manipulation. Idioms are special phrases that don’t always mean exactly what the words say but have a hidden meaning. Learning these idioms will help you understand everyday conversations better and spot when someone might be trying to influence you in a sneaky way.
Idioms About Manipulation
1. Pull the strings
Meaning: To secretly control or influence someone or a situation.
Example Sentence: The manager was pulling the strings behind the scenes to get the promotion.
Other ways to say: Control the situation, be the puppet master
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from puppets controlled by strings, meaning someone is making others act without them knowing.
Usage: Used when someone has hidden control over people or events.
2. Twist someone’s arm
Meaning: To persuade or force someone to do something they don’t want to do.
Example Sentence: I didn’t want to go, but my friends twisted my arm to come along.
Other ways to say: Coerce, pressure someone
Fun Fact/Origin: The phrase comes from the idea of physically twisting someone’s arm to make them comply.
Usage: Used when someone is pressured to agree or act.
3. Play both sides
Meaning: To try to gain advantage by supporting two opposing groups or opinions.
Example Sentence: He played both sides in the argument to avoid getting into trouble.
Other ways to say: Double-deal, play both ends against the middle
Fun Fact/Origin: Refers to acting in favor of two opposing groups secretly.
Usage: Used to describe someone being untrustworthy or sneaky.
4. Lead someone down the garden path
Meaning: To trick or deceive someone by giving false information.
Example Sentence: Don’t believe everything he says; he’s just leading you down the garden path.
Other ways to say: Mislead, fool
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from old English meaning to deceive someone by leading them away from the truth.
Usage: Used when someone is intentionally misled.
5. Pull a fast one
Meaning: To trick or cheat someone quickly and cleverly.
Example Sentence: They pulled a fast one by selling fake tickets to the concert.
Other ways to say: Trick, fool
Fun Fact/Origin: “Fast one” means a quick trick or deception.
Usage: Used when someone is outsmarted by a quick deception.
6. Call the shots
Meaning: To be the person who makes the decisions or controls a situation.
Example Sentence: She calls the shots in our group project.
Other ways to say: Be in charge, make decisions
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from military use where the leader calls commands or shots.
Usage: Used to show who has power or control.
7. Pull the wool over someone’s eyes
Meaning: To trick or deceive someone by hiding the truth.
Example Sentence: The company tried to pull the wool over the customers’ eyes with false ads.
Other ways to say: Deceive, fool
Fun Fact/Origin: “Wool” refers to a blindfold, meaning to blind someone to the truth.
Usage: Used when someone is tricked or deceived.
8. Play dirty
Meaning: To use unfair or dishonest methods to get what you want.
Example Sentence: He played dirty in the game by cheating.
Other ways to say: Cheat, act unfairly
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from sports where “dirty play” means unfair tactics.
Usage: Used when someone acts dishonestly.
9. String someone along
Meaning: To deceive someone by keeping them hopeful or waiting.
Example Sentence: She was just stringing him along and had no real plans.
Other ways to say: Mislead, keep hopeful without real intent
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from the idea of a string leading someone without direction.
Usage: Used when someone is kept waiting or misled.
10. Bend the rules
Meaning: To change or ignore rules to suit your needs.
Example Sentence: The teacher bent the rules to let him turn in the homework late.
Other ways to say: Break the rules, stretch the rules
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from imagining rules as flexible objects that can be bent.
Usage: Used when rules are changed unfairly.
11. Smoke and mirrors
Meaning: Something meant to confuse or trick people by hiding the truth.
Example Sentence: The company’s explanation was just smoke and mirrors to hide their mistakes.
Other ways to say: Deception, illusion
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from magic shows where smoke and mirrors create illusions.
Usage: Used when something is misleading or deceptive.
12. Play someone like a fiddle
Meaning: To control or trick someone easily.
Example Sentence: He played her like a fiddle to get what he wanted.
Other ways to say: Manipulate, control
Fun Fact/Origin: The fiddle is a musical instrument easily controlled by the player.
Usage: Used when someone is easily manipulated.
13. Have someone eating out of your hand
Meaning: To have complete control or influence over someone.
Example Sentence: The coach had the team eating out of his hand.
Other ways to say: Control completely, influence fully
Fun Fact/Origin: Refers to training birds to eat from your hand, showing trust and control.
Usage: Used when someone is fully under another’s influence.
14. Cook the books
Meaning: To cheat by changing financial records illegally.
Example Sentence: The company cooked the books to hide losses.
Other ways to say: Cheat in accounting, falsify records
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from the idea of “cooking” as altering or faking something.
Usage: Used for dishonest financial behavior.
15. Pull a woolly one
Meaning: To trick or fool someone.
Example Sentence: They pulled a woolly one by switching the real product with a fake.
Other ways to say: Trick, deceive
Fun Fact/Origin: Similar to “pull the wool over someone’s eyes,” meaning to blindfold or trick.
Usage: Used when someone is fooled.
16. Take for a ride
Meaning: To cheat or deceive someone.
Example Sentence: He took me for a ride by selling a broken car.
Other ways to say: Cheat, scam
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from the idea of taking someone on a false journey.
Usage: Used when someone is tricked or scammed.
17. Play mind games
Meaning: To manipulate someone by confusing or tricking them emotionally.
Example Sentence: Don’t play mind games with me; just be honest.
Other ways to say: Manipulate emotions, confuse
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from the idea of psychological games to control others.
Usage: Used when someone manipulates feelings.
18. Put words in someone’s mouth
Meaning: To say someone meant something they didn’t say.
Example Sentence: Don’t put words in my mouth—I never agreed to that.
Other ways to say: Misrepresent, twist words
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from imagining someone speaking for another person without permission.
Usage: Used when someone is falsely blamed or misquoted.
19. Lead someone on
Meaning: To give someone false hope or feelings, especially in relationships.
Example Sentence: She led him on even though she wasn’t interested.
Other ways to say: Mislead, give false hope
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from the idea of guiding someone in the wrong direction.
Usage: Used when someone is emotionally misled.
20. Play the victim
Meaning: To pretend to be hurt or unfairly treated to gain sympathy or control.
Example Sentence: He always plays the victim when things go wrong.
Other ways to say: Act innocent, seek sympathy
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from acting like a person harmed to get attention.
Usage: Used when someone manipulates by pretending to suffer.
21. Have someone under your thumb
Meaning: To have control over someone completely.
Example Sentence: The boss had all the employees under his thumb.
Other ways to say: Control completely, dominate
Fun Fact/Origin: Refers to holding someone under your thumb to keep control.
Usage: Used when someone dominates or controls others.
22. Twist the truth
Meaning: To change facts to mislead or confuse others.
Example Sentence: The politician twisted the truth to win votes.
Other ways to say: Distort facts, lie
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from bending or twisting something until it’s no longer true.
Usage: Used when facts are changed to deceive.
23. Lead someone up the garden path
Meaning: To fool or trick someone.
Example Sentence: Don’t let them lead you up the garden path with their promises.
Other ways to say: Mislead, deceive
Fun Fact/Origin: A British phrase meaning to trick someone by leading them the wrong way.
Usage: Used when someone is fooled or deceived.
24. Play the game
Meaning: To act according to rules or behave strategically to get what you want.
Example Sentence: You have to play the game to succeed in this business.
Other ways to say: Follow the rules, be strategic
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from sports or competitions where strategy is important.
Usage: Used when someone acts smartly to get ahead.
25. Have someone eating from your hand
Meaning: To have complete control or influence over someone.
Example Sentence: The teacher had the students eating from her hand during class.
Other ways to say: Control completely, influence fully
Fun Fact/Origin: Similar to “have someone eating out of your hand.”
Usage: Used when someone is fully under another’s control.
26. Play possum
Meaning: To pretend to be asleep or unaware to avoid trouble.
Example Sentence: He played possum when the teacher asked about the missing homework.
Other ways to say: Pretend, fake ignorance
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from the opossum’s habit of playing dead to avoid danger.
Usage: Used when someone pretends not to know or care.
27. Blow smoke
Meaning: To trick or confuse by saying things that are not true or exaggerated.
Example Sentence: The salesman was just blowing smoke about the product’s features.
Other ways to say: Lie, exaggerate
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from smoke being used to hide or confuse.
Usage: Used when someone tries to trick others with false talk.
28. Play it close to the vest
Meaning: To keep plans or information secret to avoid giving others an advantage.
Example Sentence: She played her cards close to the vest during negotiations.
Other ways to say: Keep secret, be cautious
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from card games where hiding your cards is important.
Usage: Used when someone keeps things private to stay in control.
Quiz: Idioms About Manipulation
Instructions: Choose the correct meaning for each idiom. Each question has one correct answer. Use what you’ve learned from the idioms to find the best choice.
Question Key
1. What does “pull the strings” mean?
A) To play a musical instrument
B) To secretly control someone or something
C) To tie up strings
2. If someone “twists your arm,” what are they doing?
A) Helping you with a problem
B) Forcing or persuading you to do something
C) Giving you a gift
3. What does it mean to “play both sides”?
A) To support two opposite groups for your own benefit
B) To be fair to everyone
C) To play a game with friends
4. If a person “pulls a fast one,” what are they doing?
A) Running very fast
B) Tricking or cheating someone
C) Playing a sport
5. What does “call the shots” mean?
A) Taking pictures
B) Making the decisions or being in charge
C) Shooting a basketball
6. When someone “plays dirty,” what does that mean?
A) They get messy while working
B) They use unfair or dishonest methods
C) They clean up a mess
7. What does it mean to “lead someone down the garden path”?
A) To take a walk in the garden
B) To mislead or trick someone
C) To help someone find flowers
8. If someone “pulls the wool over your eyes,” what are they doing?
A) Helping you see better
B) Tricking or hiding the truth from you
C) Giving you warm clothes
9. What does it mean to “play the victim”?
A) To act hurt or unfairly treated to gain sympathy
B) To help someone who is hurt
C) To play a role in a play
10. If someone “plays mind games,” what are they doing?
A) Playing puzzles
B) Confusing or tricking someone emotionally
C) Doing brain exercises
Answers Key
- B) To secretly control someone or something
- B) Forcing or persuading you to do something
- A) To support two opposite groups for your own benefit
- B) Tricking or cheating someone
- B) Making the decisions or being in charge
- B) They use unfair or dishonest methods
- B) To mislead or trick someone
- B) Tricking or hiding the truth from you
- A) To act hurt or unfairly treated to gain sympathy
- B) Confusing or tricking someone emotionally
Wrapping Up
Manipulation happens when someone tries to control or trick others, often in secret ways. In the USA, we see these kinds of actions in many places, like at school, work, or even in stories. Understanding idioms about manipulation helps us recognize when someone might be trying to influence us unfairly.
These phrases are useful to know so you can protect yourself and understand others better. Remember, it’s important to stay honest and fair in how you treat people and watch out for those who might not. Now that you know these idioms, you can spot manipulation and use this knowledge in everyday life.
