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.

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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

“They put the arm on everybody. They tried to get them to do what they had to do. Many of those people were like Jeff, where they didn’t want to vote that way.”

From Washington Times

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

From Washington Times

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

From New York Times

He is one of the top contributors to the Democratic Party and has the ability to put the arm on friends and colleagues when it's time to raise campaign cash.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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• bump
• depress
• drive
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• pressure
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• shift
• shove