English Idiom – Twist Somebody’s Arm
What Does “Twist My Arm” Mean?
Meaning — to persuade somebody to do something that they do not want to do. To put pressure on someone in order to get them to do something. To coerce somebody.
This idiomatic expression can also be used in a sarcastic or humorous way by someone who is only pretending that they have to be persuaded to do something — often when they actually wanted to say yes all along.
The verb twist means to cause to rotate or turn in another direction. The idiom cost an arm and a leg can be used to describe something that cost a lot of money.
Example
“If you twist my arm, I’ll stay for one more cuppa!”
Even film directors use it. Talking about casting Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic, James Cameron said: “He didn’t want to do a leading man. I had to really twist his arm to be in the movie. He didn’t want to do it. He thought it was boring.”
What is an idiom?
An idiom is a word or phrase that is not taken literally. An idiom is an expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its individual words, but has a separate meaning of its own.
Frequently Asked Questions
It means to persuade somebody to do something they don’t want to do — to put pressure on someone to get them to agree.
No — it’s often used sarcastically or humorously by someone who’s only pretending they need convincing, when really they wanted to say yes all along.
No, it’s figurative — nobody’s arm is actually being twisted. It’s entirely about persuasion, usually gentle or playful.
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