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nairaland.net • View topic - Pull the strings

Pull the strings

A place to shed light on Idiomatic expresions, Phrasal verbs, Proverbs and sayings, quotations, clichés, Colloquialisms, Etymology, etc. Both native Nigerian, and global English expressions are welcome.

Pull the strings

Postby Richard Akindele » Sun Feb 04, 2007 7:50 pm

[b]Pull the strings[/b], [b]pulling the strings [/b]is a very common expression.

I'm sure you've heard an expression such as: She/He is pulling the strings.

Meaning: This means She/He is in charge and giving instructions/directions on what path others should follow.

A similar expression, which is just as commonly used is:
She/He is [b]calling the shots[/b].

But what is the origin of the expression: [b]Pull the strings[/b]?

[b]Pull the strings[/b] is a shortened version of the real expression: [b]Pull the puppet strings[/b].

It's very likely that you've seen a puppet on TV that is walking and talking just like a human being. Those puppets are usually controlled by somebody, using strings attached to various parts of the puppet. The puppet does exactly what the controller wants it to do. In other words, the controller is [b]Pulling the puppet strings[/b], which today has morphed into [b]Pulling the strings[/b].
Richard Akindele
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