Decision & Control - Force & Obligation

Dive into English idioms regarding force and obligation, like "be boxed into a corner" and "the call of duty".

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English idioms related to Decision & Control

to force one's hand

[phrase]

to leave someone no choice but to do something they would not do otherwise

Ex: The leak forced the minister's hand, and he had to resign.

to put the squeeze on somebody

[phrase]

to make someone do something by putting them under pressure, especially to get money from them

Ex: The bank put the squeeze on him after he missed two loan payments.

to clip one's wings

[phrase]

to reduce or restrain a person's freedom, influence, or authority

Ex: The new rules clipped the manager's wings and gave more power to the board.

to have somebody over a barrel

[phrase]

to place someone in a situation in which they have no choice but to accept one's offer or request

Ex: The landlord knew we had nowhere else to go, so he had us over a barrel.

to crack the whip

[phrase]

to make use of one's power or authority to force someone to work harder or behave better

Ex: The manager had to crack the whip after the team missed three deadlines.

to be boxed into a corner

[phrase]

to be placed in a problematic situation to which there is no favorable solution

Ex: The company was boxed into a corner: raise prices or lose money.

to scrape (the bottom of) the barrel

[phrase]

to have no option but to make use of people or things of very poor quality

Ex: If we hire him, we'll really be scraping the bottom of the barrel.

one's hands are tied

[sentence]

used to say that one's freedom in action is limited by a rule or law

Ex: I want to help, but my hands are tied by company policy.

to go through the motions

[phrase]

to do something without real interest, feeling, or effort

Ex: He went through the motions at work after losing interest in the job.

the call of duty

[phrase]

the feeling or belief that one must do or accomplish something

Ex: When the storm hit, the nurses answered the call of duty and stayed all night.

to make a virtue of necessity

[phrase]

to get an advantage from doing something that is forced upon one

Ex: When the office closed, she made a virtue of necessity and built a successful remote team.

one's way or the highway

[sentence]

used to say that someone has two options, either accept what has been said or leave it be

Ex: His attitude was simple: my way or the highway.

ball and chain

[phrase]

something that limits or takes away one's freedom to do what one wants

Ex: For him, the old debt was a ball and chain that kept him from starting over.

marching orders

[noun]

a set of instructions from a person in authority concerning what one must do or how to do it

Ex: The team got its marching orders from the director and started work immediately.

no strings attached

[sentence]

offered or provided without any hidden agendas, requirements, or consequences

Ex: They offered us the grant with no strings attached.

Decision & Control
Under Control	Out of Control	Losing Control	Being in Charge
Force & Obligation	Obedience	Choices & Decisions	Decisiveness
Indecisiveness	Dependency

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