put the arm on

Idioms  

1. Also,. 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.

---

Example Sentences

But prospective builders expressed concern about the complexity of that work so the state has changed tack and now plans to put the arm on land.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 21, 2023

The next day the contractor put the arm on the new tower.

From Washington Times • May 3, 2015

Commissioners put the arm on the community, threatening the loss of franchises.

From New York Times • Oct. 11, 2014

Cerf rounded up Donald Klopfer, put the arm on his Wall Street uncle, and snapped up the Modern Library, smell and all, for $200,000.

From Time Magazine Archive

Its 60 hand-picked members, luxuriating in the regime of Mayor William O'Dwyer, were all "real pushers," who could "put the arm on anybody"; they did nothing for months but sell tickets to the Firemen's Ball.

From Time Magazine Archive

Related Words

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