iron hand


noun

strict or harsh control: The general governed the country with an iron hand.

Origin of iron hand

First recorded in 1840–50

British Dictionary definitions for iron hand

iron hand

noun

harsh or rigorous control; overbearing or autocratic force he ruled with an iron hand

Idioms and Phrases with iron hand

iron hand

Rigorous control, as in He ruled the company with an iron hand. This usage is sometimes put as iron hand in a velvet glove, meaning “firm but seemingly gentle control,” as in She runs the town with an iron hand in a velvet glove. [c. 1700]