strong-arm

See also: strongarm

English edit

strong +‎ arm

strong-arm (not comparable)

strong-arm (third-person singular simple present strong-arms, present participle strong-arming, simple past and past participle strong-armed)

To bully; to intimidate.
- 2001, Bob Dylan, “Floater (Too Much to Ask)” from the album Love and Theft,
  One of the boss’ hangers-on
  
  Comes to call at times you least expect
  
  Try to bully ya—strong-arm you—inspire you with fear
(often figuratively) To coerce, to muscle.
- 2023 March 14, Alexandra Jacobs, “Your Annoying Roommate Is Slaying on TikTok”, in The New York Times‎^[1]:
  In a five-part series on the “Extremely Passive Aggressive Roommate,” Ms. Brier […] complains about her roomie coming home at 3:27 a.m.; strong-arms that roommate into renewing their lease and then welcomes a guest to “the common space.”
- 2023 August 9, Nigel Harris, “Comment: Disinterested and dishonest”, in RAIL, number 989, page 3:
  It is difficult to summarise the arrogance, contempt, complacency and incompetence shown by the DfT in a scheme where it strong-armed the rail industry (in the form of the Rail Delivery Group) to 'front up'.

strong-arm (plural strong-arms)

A person who threatens or intimidates others, especially on behalf of somebody else; a goon or enforcer.
- 2000, Irving Shulman, The Big Brokers:
  There used to be a goon I knew in the Bronx—a tough mockie we used to call Yussel the Bricklayer—and you never saw a guy who was more screwed up. This guy Yussel would've been a strongarm for nothing, he enjoyed it so much.