iron hand

[ahy-ern hand]

noun

1. strict, harsh, or autocratic, often ruthless control.

   The general governed the country with an iron hand.

iron hand

noun

1. harsh or rigorous control; overbearing or autocratic force

   he ruled with an iron hand

Word History and Origins

Origin of iron hand¹

First recorded in 1840–50

Idioms and Phrases

Rigorous control, as in He ruled the company with an iron hand. This usage is sometimes put as iron hand in a velvet glove, meaning “firm but seemingly gentle control,” as in She runs the town with an iron hand in a velvet glove. [c. 1700]