pull strings

Register · Informal Informal — used in casual, everyday conversation among friends and family. Avoid in formal writing or professional settings. CEFR B2

Post

Figurative meaning

to use personal influence or secret connections to make something happen

Why this phrase?

A powerful person is compared to a puppeteer secretly pulling strings to control events.

Example

“She refused to pull strings to get her nephew an interview.”

Dictionary details

Tags

Expressions connected by reviewed component words or topic tags.

behind closed doors Neutral · CEFR B2

in private, away from public observation

sow seeds of thought Neutral · CEFR C1

to introduce ideas that may grow and develop in people's minds later

Source methodology

Meanings, register, CEFR, and examples come from the reviewed dictionary record. Expression notes may describe a reviewed present-day word picture or a background note; they are not presented as verified etymology.

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