put the arm on

Idioms and Phrases

Also, put the bite or touch on . Ask for or demand money, as in He's the youngest and he's always putting the arm on Dad . The first of these slangy usages, first recorded in 1939, alludes to a robber assaulting someone by yoking his arm around the victim's throat. The bite variant, first recorded in 1919, similarly alludes to a violent attack. The last, touch , has been slang for “theft” since the mid-1800s.

Related Words

• accelerate
• bump
• depress
• drive
• force
• launch
• move
• nudge
• pressure
• propel
• shift
• shove