aan de touwtjes trekken

Dutch

Etymology

Literally, “to pull (at) the strings”, after a puppeteer controlling a marionette puppet.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌaːn də ˈtɑu̯.tjəs ˈtrɛ.kə(n)/

Verb

aan de touwtjes trekken

1. (intransitive, idiomatic) to pull the strings (to control behind the scenes, to manipulate secretly)

Conjugation

Conjugation of aan de touwtjes trekken: see trekken.