pull

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable | 2006 | 311 words | Copyright

pull it is easier to pull down than to build up proverbial saying, late 16th century.
pull strings make use of one's influence and contacts to gain an advantage unofficially or unfairly; the image is of a puppeteer manipulating a marionette by means of strings.

See also pull someone's chestnuts out of the fire.

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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "pull." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "pull." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-pull.html

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "pull." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-pull.html

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