Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

putty in someone's hands

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.87 in modern English

Syllables: put-ty in -some-one's hands
IPA

31

Scrabble Score

20

Letters

4

Syllables

13

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

One who is readily manipulated or controlled by another person; a puppet.

Informal; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"Why, Marseny, here, he wan't no more than so much putty in her hands."
"So long as she behaves in a way to keep his love and respect he's putty in her hands."
"[H]e clocks on at 8.30 pm with the opening guitar notes of his most famous song, ‘Purple Rain’. Everyone is instantly putty in his hands."
"Well, your looks had me putty in your hand now / But I took just as much as I can stand now"

Etymology

A metaphor likening the easy malleability of putty to the easy manipulability of the person. First use appears c. 1867.

Usage

Inflected Forms

putty in the hands of someone (alternative)

Phrases

eat out of someone's hand wrap around one's little finger

Frequently Paired Words

pushover wimp wuss eat out of someone's hand wrap around one's little finger

Synonyms

putty in someone's fingers

Questions

What does putty in someone's hands mean?: One who is readily manipulated or controlled by another person; a puppet.
Where does putty in someone's hands come from?: A metaphor likening the easy malleability of putty to the easy manipulability of the person. First use appears c. 1867.

How to pronounce putty in someone's hands

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