TO TWIST SOMEONE’S ARM
Do you have to convince someone to do something? Do you want to joke about how your boss convinces you to do something? Then this idiom of the month is just for you.
This month’s idiom is «to twist someone’s arm». It could be that «you are twisting my arm» or that «your boss is twisting your arm».
DEFINITION
This literally means to convince someone to do something they do not want to do.
ORIGIN
This phrase originated in the mid-1900s and refers to using physical force by twisting someone’s arm to get something done.
Let’s use it in a sentence.
Ex. 1: My boss thought the budget was a little high. So I had to twist his arm to get him to agree to it.
Ex. 2: I really didn’t want to go to the scary movie, but my friend twisted my arm and now I’m having nightmares now.
EXERCISE:
Match the Context
Match each sentence (1–5) with the correct situation (A–E). The idiom «to twist someone’s arm» means to convince someone to do something they don’t want to do.
| Situations | Sentences | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. She convinced me to go to the concert with her, even though I didn’t want to. | A. She twisted my arm, and now I’m on the team, even though I thought I wasn’t good enough. | |
| 2. He persuaded me to take on an extra project, even though I was already busy with my current workload. | B. He twisted my arm into helping him move this weekend. | |
| 3. She really convinced me to buy the new shoes by offering a great deal. | C. The salesperson twisted my arm into buying those new shoes. | |
| 4. He convinced me to help him move to his new apartment this weekend. | D. He twisted my arm, and I ended up taking on the extra project, even though I was already overwhelmed with work. | |
| 5. She encouraged me to join the team, even though I felt like I wasn’t good enough. | E. She twisted my arm, and I ended up going to the concert with her, even though I didn’t want to. |
Answers:
1 → E
2 → D
3 → C
4 → B
5 → A
Now it’s your turn! Get out there and show everyone how reluctant you are to do certain things!