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Twist someone’s arm vs Twist someone’s tail

admin Confusing Phrases

twist someone’s arm—

1. persuade a person to do smth. by pressure:

  • Nobody forced him to go there and nobody twisted his arm to make connections with dubious characters.

2. (joc.) “persuade” a person to have a drink, when no persuasion at all is needed:

  • “That looks a nice pub over there.” “All right—you’ve twisted my arm enough,” admitted Boote.

twist someone’s tail —(coll.) harass or maliciously annoy a person:

  • Revenge seems to me least likely. Grown men don’t kill boys just because they’ve had their tails twisted by them.