pull strings

1. To use personal connections to obtain a position: “Pat was officially interviewed for the job, but he also had his uncle pulling strings behind the scenes.” This phrase makes reference to the operation of string-controlled puppets, or marionettes.

Idioms and Phrases

Also, pull wires. Use one's influence, as in By pulling strings he got us house seats to the opening, or His father pulled some wires and got him out of jail. Both terms allude to manipulating a marionette. The first dates from the second half of the 1800s, the second from the early 1800s.

Example Sentences

She alleged in her lawsuit that a close friend of Labrada’s pulled strings to keep her out of the position.

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Holly Aitchison, a playmaking fly-half, will get the chance to pull strings for the first time in the tournament after recovering from an ankle injury to take her place on the bench.

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Walters had a friendship with unsavory lawyer Roy Cohn, who pulled strings to make her father’s tax problems go away.

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With their international team-mate Santiago Carreras also now back in contention to pull strings for Gloucester, the end of the Rugby Championship may subtly alter the balance of Premiership power in weeks to come.

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“The defendant is high-profile and everyone believes he pulled strings, which scared people off.”

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Related Words

• affect 
• alter 
• arouse 
• bias 
• change 
• determine 
• guide 
• impress 
• manipulate 
• persuade 
• prejudice 
• prompt 
• regulate 
• shape 
• sway