# To have someone wrapped around one's  finger



## Idioteque

Hello everyone!
I would like to know the meaning of this expression...
"To get wrapped around one's finger..." I think that it means "to become fond of someone"... but I can't really understand the origin of this sentence... and I can't find a good Italian translation... "affezionarsi profondamente a qualcuno?"

Thanks in advance,

Bye, Laura


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## Elisa68

I have found this explanation: to have someone so enamored that he or she does whatever the other person wants.
It is better to wait for some natives, just to be safe!


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## Idioteque

Elisa68 said:
			
		

> I have found this explanation: to have someone so enamored that he or she does whatever the other person wants.
> It is better to wait for some natives, just to be safe!



Thank you very much, Elisa!  But I think it's hard to find a good Italian translation...


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## Elisa68

Essere plagiati, essere completamente presi, essere sotto il pieno controllo di...

Ce ne fosse una che mi convinca...


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## carrickp

Elisa68 said:
			
		

> Essere plagiati, essere completamente presi, essere sotto il pieno controllo di...:



As you say, to have someone under your complete control, usually because of love or infatuation:

"Elisa never goes out with us any more."

"Ever since she hooked up with Carlo she doesn't make a move without him. He has her wrapped around his little finger."


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## Elisa68

Thanks, Carrickp! I think I got it now!


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## bosco

Elisa68 said:
			
		

> I have found this explanation: to have someone so enamored that he or she does whatever the other person wants.
> It is better to wait for some natives, just to be safe!



That's basically it. It can be used in a positive way, as the way a father feels about his little girls or the way someone feels about their boyfriend/girlfriend. It can also be used negatively, referring to the way a person may follow someone who treats them badly.


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## disegno

carrickp said:
			
		

> As you say, to have someone under your complete control, usually because of love or infatuation:
> 
> "Elisa never goes out with us any more."
> 
> "Ever since she hooked up with Carlo she doesn't make a move without him. He has her wrapped around his little finger."



Bravo carrickp! Un buon esempio! Molto creativo!


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## moodywop

carrickp said:
			
		

> As you say, to have someone under your complete control, usually because of love or infatuation:
> 
> "Elisa never goes out with us any more."
> 
> "Ever since she hooked up with Carlo she doesn't make a move without him. He has her wrapped around his little finger."


 
Si può dire anche "I've got her under my thumb"? Ricordo una canzone degli _Stones, Under My Thumb. _Nella canzone è riferita ad una relazione, ma penso che si usi più in altri contesti.

Mi sembra che qui l'italiano sia un po' carente(in inglese c'è anche il bellissimo _enthralled)_. Proprio con carrickp si discuteva della mancanza, in italiano, di espressioni _colourful _come quelle idiomatiche o _slang _inglesi. A me pare che sia dovuto al carattere tutto letterario di una lingua che per secoli è stata usata solo da scrittori e da una ristretta élite, mentre la massa comunicava in dialetto.L'inglese, invece, sotto la pressione di trasformazioni sociali, economiche ecc. profonde mutava e si adattava di continuo - per non parlare della sua esportazione nei territori colonizzati dagli inglesi. Ciò lo ha portato ad essere una lingua plastica, flessibile, adattabile.

L'italiano invece è fondamentalmente ancora quello di Dante. I primi versi della_ Divina Commedia _sembrano italiano di oggi. L'inglese di Chaucer(più recente di Dante) è incomprensibile al lettore di oggi.

PS Carrickp, essere in un tuo esempio è un onore. Spero che sia preso da un torrido_ romance _che stai scrivendo.


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## Manuel_M

As far as I'm aware _to get wrapped round one's finger_ can also be used in contexts which have nothing to do with love and relationships. The meaning would still be ' to be under somebody's complete control'.


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## bosco

Manuel_M said:
			
		

> As far as I'm aware _to get wrapped round one's finger_ can also be used in contexts which have nothing to do with love and relationships. The meaning would still be ' to be under somebody's complete control'.




No, not really. I have never heard it used outside personal relationships. Also, it implies a willing compliance to the other's wishes, not a Svengali-like control.


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## carrickp

moodywop said:
			
		

> Si può dire anche "I've got her under my thumb"? Ricordo una canzone degli _Stones, Under My Thumb. _Nella canzone è riferita ad una relazione, ma penso che si usi più in altri contesti...



To me, "under my thumb" implies uncaring, dictatorial control, versus "wrapped around my little finger," which implies a loving relationship.

"Under my thumb" is like squashing an insect.

_Around My Finger; Under My Thumb_. That can be the name of my novel. Or a biography of Donald Trump.


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## moodywop

carrickp said:
			
		

> To me, "under my thumb" implies uncaring, dictatorial control, versus "wrapped around my little finger," which implies a loving relationship.
> 
> "Under my thumb" is like squashing an insect.
> 
> _Around My Finger; Under My Thumb_. That can be the name of my novel. Or a biography of Donald Trump.


 
Hi carrickp

Mine was a silly question, really. The image of someone under someone else's thumb hardly suggests a loving caring relationship.

I checked the lyrics to the Rolling Stones song(I only remembered the title) and they are pretty nasty indeed:

_Under my thumb _
_A siamese cat of a girl _
_Under my thumb _
_She's the sweetest, hmmm, pet in the world _
_(from "Aftermath", 1966)_


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## rocknrollelena

Ciao a tutti! Non pensate che "*He's got me wrapped around his little finger*" si possa tradurre con "*Mi ha completamente in pugno*"?
O è una traduzione troppo libera? Grazie.


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## PacoBajito

I would say "pendere dalle labbra di" o "essere tenuto in pungno da" ciao


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## london calling

PacoBajito said:


> I would say "pendere dalle labbra di" o "essere tenuto in pungno da" ciao


Dipende sempre dal contesto (che non abbiamo).


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## beacher

Idioteque said:


> Hello everyone!
> I would like to know the meaning of this expression...
> "To get wrapped around one's finger..." I think that it means "to become fond of someone"... but I can't really understand the origin of this sentence... and I can't find a good Italian translation... "affezionarsi profondamente a qualcuno?"
> 
> Thanks in advance,
> 
> Bye, Laura



Ragazzi, non prendetemi per uno sciocco... ma visto che solitamente viene usato tra due innamorati che ne dite di:
1)"ti strapazzo io come si deve";
2)"ti rivolto dalla testa ai piedi"

So posso sembrare alquanto hot, però è ciò che di primo acchito mi è saltato in mente


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## You little ripper!

I've never heard the expression _to have someone wrapped around one's finger_ - it has always been _around one's little finger_. It is also used in non-intimate relationships, in my experience.


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## Nunou

rocknrollelena said:


> Ciao a tutti! Non pensate che "*He's got me wrapped around his little finger*" si possa tradurre con "*Mi ha completamente in pugno*"?
> O è una traduzione troppo libera? Grazie.



Questa mi piace!!! 
Mi tiene in pugno...fa di me quello che vuole...mi ha completamente rapito....ammaestrare per benino/a dovere....comandare a bacchetta...pendere dalla labbra...essere ammaliati...
vanno tutte bene....dipende sempre dal contesto!!!


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## london calling

You little ripper! said:


> I've never heard the expression _to have someone wrapped around one's finger_ - it has always been _around one's little finger_. It is also used in non-intimate relationships, in my experience.


The Police: "I'll be wrapped around your finger/you'll be wrapped around my finger" (remember the song?. 

Common enough in BE (but so's _wrapped round one's little finger_).


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## You little ripper!

london calling said:


> The Police: "I'll be wrapped around your finger/you'll be wrapped around my finger" (remember the song?.


No, I don't, Jo! I'm off to listen to it now. 

P.S. I've just listened to the song; I rememember the tune but had no idea that that's what it was called!


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## bluehair41

Idioteque said:


> Hello everyone!
> I would like to know the meaning of this expression...
> "To get wrapped around one's finger..." I think that it means "to become fond of someone"... but I can't really understand the origin of this sentence... and I can't find a good Italian translation... "affezionarsi profondamente a qualcuno?"
> 
> Thanks in advance,
> 
> Bye, Laura



This term comes from the sport of falconry---There was a short leather leash attached to the falcons leg that when  being held,  fisted, was wrapped aroung the small finger to assure he  remained in placed until being sent to flight.  Hence the saying,   wrapped around my little finger.


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## danalto

bluehair41 said:


> This term comes from the sport of falconry---There was a short leather leash attached to the falcons leg that when  being held,  fisted, was wrapped aroung the small finger to assure he  remained in placed until being sent to flight.  Hence the saying,   wrapped around my little finger.


Welcome to WR Forums, bluehair...and thank you for your explanation! Very interesting!
Dan


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## Hagar77584

bluehair41 said:


> This term comes from the sport of falconry---There was a short leather leash attached to the falcons leg that when  being held,  fisted, was wrapped aroung the small finger to assure he  remained in placed until being sent to flight.  Hence the saying,   wrapped around my little finger.


Pretty close bluehair.  Both terms, "wrapped around your little finger" and "under my thumb" are falconry terms.  When the falcon first lands on the handlers fist, the handler distracts the bird by giving it meat.  While the bird is distracted, the leather tether is moved under his thumb first, which gives the handler some control.  If the falcon is well trained, no more control is needed; however, if it is a new falcon, young falcon, or a very large bird, like an eagle, the handler will wrap the tether around his little finger for more control.

Honestly, I don't know why this old string popped up on my screen, but I really like the old colloquialism.


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## tsoapm

That is interesting, thank you. Used with birds or prey, it’s much more dignified than it is with people!


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## Pietruzzo

I understand "to have someone wrapped around one's finger" but the title of this thread is "to get wrapped around one's finger". Do both  have the same meaning?


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## You little ripper!

Pietruzzo said:


> I understand "to have someone around one's finger" but the title of this thread is "to get wrapped around one's finger". Do both  have the same meaning?


Pietruzzo, the only version I know is, _To have someone wrapped around one's (little) finger._ I prefer it with the 'little'.


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## Pietruzzo

You little ripper! said:


> Pietruzzo, the only version I know is, _To have someone wrapped around one's (little) finger._ I prefer it with the 'little'.


 I thought so, thanks. In the meanwhile, the title has been changed.


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## johngiovanni

"Sono / È completamente alla sua mercé"?


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## King Crimson

johngiovanni said:


> "Sono / È completamente alla sua mercé"?



Yes, this is the meaning and the expression is very nice even though it sounds a bit old-fashioned --I don't know how many young people would know the meaning of "mercé".
I also like the first two options proposed in #19 (especially _fa di me quello che vuole_) and would add an almost-literal translation of the English idiom, that is _(se) lo fa girare attorno a un dito_: to me it conveys the very same nuance of subtle seduction that I understand to be implied by the original.


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## london calling

King Crimson said:


> I also like the first two options proposed in #19 (especially _fa di me quello che vuole_) and would add an almost-literal translation of the English idiom, that is _(se) lo fa girare attorno a un dito_: to me it conveys the very same nuance of subtle seduction that I understand to be implied by the original.


Un mio collega mi ha detto l'altro giorno a proposito della figlia 18enne: "Mi fa sempre". In inglese: "She's got me wrapped around her (little) finger".


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## Paulfromitaly

london calling said:


> "Mi fa sempre"


I wouldn't understand this


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## london calling

Paulfromitaly said:


> I wouldn't understand this


Ci credo.


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## Dearson

london calling said:


> Un mio collega mi ha detto l'altro giorno a proposito della figlia 18enne: "Mi fa sempre". In inglese: "She's got me wrapped around her (little) finger".



Che si sia sbagliato?  Mi fa sempre fesso ho sempre sentito dire.

Altra possibilità: She's got me wrapped around her (little) finger = Mi rigira come vuole.


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## london calling

Dearson said:


> Che si sia sbagliato?  Mi fa sempre fesso ho sempre sentito dire.


No, non è la prima volta che lo sento. Probabilmente è la versione 'abbreviata' di 'Mi fa sempre fesso' (è esattamente quello il significato).


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## Pietruzzo

london calling said:


> No, non è la prima volta che lo sento. Probabilmente è la versione 'abbreviata' di 'Mi fa sempre fesso' (è esattamente quello il significato).


La versione abbreviata sarebbe "me la fa sempre" ma che c'entra con la frase del topic? Io avevo capito che significava "mi ha nelle sue mani"


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## london calling

Pietruzzo said:


> La versione abbreviata sarebbe "me la fa sempre" ma che c'entra con la frase del topic?


C'entra, perché il significato è quello di 'She's got me wrapped round her (little) finger'.

PS Da queste parti si dice ANCHE 'Me la fa sempre'.


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