/ˈɹæp ˈsʌmwʌn əˈɹaʊnd jɔː ˈlɪtl̩ ˈfɪŋɡə/
English idiom, informal. To have someone so charmed or devoted that they’ll do whatever you want.
Draft Not yet checked by a native English speaker.
How do people use Wrap someone around your little finger
?
Wiktionary notes it’s usually in the past participle: “she has him wrapped around her little finger”. It’s affectionate or mocking rather than sinister, often about children with their parents or a partner who can’t say no. British speakers often say “round” instead of “around”.
Also said wrap someone around your finger, twist someone around your little finger, wind someone around your little finger
Wrap someone around your little finger
in real sentences
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His wife had him wrapped around her little finger.
Tatoeba, sentence by CM, CC BY 2.0 FR
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She has Tom wrapped around her little finger.
Tatoeba, sentence by Hybrid, CC BY 2.0 FR
Where does Wrap someone around your little finger
come from?
No dated origin in the sources checked. English Wiktionary gives several older-sounding versions (twist, wind or turn someone around your finger) and lists “under one’s thumb” alongside it, while the translation table shows the same finger image in German, Dutch, Swedish and Polish. The picture is of someone so pliable you could coil them round your smallest finger like a piece of string.
Mistakes learners make with Wrap someone around your little finger
Giving the finger to the wrong person. The finger belongs to whoever is in control, so “she has him wrapped around her little finger” is right and “around his little finger” flips the meaning.
Other English idioms like Wrap someone around your little finger
Spot a mistake in Wrap someone around your little finger
?
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