have someone by the short and curlies

English

Pronunciation
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Verb

have someone by the short and curlies (third-person singular simple present has someone by the short and curlies, present participle having someone by the short and curlies, simple past and past participle had someone by the short and curlies)

  1. (idiomatic, colloquial) to exercise total control over someone.

Synonyms
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