🍽️ Eat Out of Someone’s Hand: Master the Art of Submissiveness 🖐️
eat out of someone’s hand, to – To be quite submissive. This expression, referring to a tame animal eating from a person’s hand, dates back to the early twentieth century. “He’s like that,” wrote Joseph Conrad (Victory, 1915), “sometimes that familiar you might think he would eat out of your hand.”
Similar Terms and Synonyms
- Be under one’s thumb
- Dance to someone’s tune
- At someone’s beck and call
- Play second fiddle
- On a short leash
Antonyms and Opposites
- Call the shots
- Wear the pants
- Be in the driver’s seat
- Take the bull by the horns
- Stand tall
Wit and Wisdom
“Why fit in when you can stand out? But sometimes, it’s more fun to be the puppet master than the puppet.” — L. Lingo
Literary and Pop Culture References
- Book: Victory by Joseph Conrad; a tale of personal struggle in which the idiom was aptly utilized.
- Movie: My Fair Lady - Observe how Professor Higgins tries to make Eliza “eat out of his hand,” with mixed results.
- Song: “Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears; given Britney’s command over her audience, they would eat out of her hand.
- Poetry: Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley; a poetic study demonstrating how over time, even the greatest masters may lose their control.
Proverbs
- “If you tame a dragon, it will eat out of your hand, but don’t be surprised when it burns your house down.”
- “You can charm bees with a flower, but you control elephants with chains.”
Inspirational Thought
While it’s all well and good to command someone’s respect so that they would metaphorically eat out of your hand, always strive to balance humility with authority.
Now for some fun quizzes!
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### Which of these means to be submissive?
- [ ] Flying kites in a hurricane
- [ ] Crooning with cronuts
- [x] Eating out of someone’s hand
- [ ] Sleeping with socks on
> **Explanation:** “Eating out of someone’s hand” suggests submission, much like a tame animal. The rest are just for laughs!
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### True or False: 'Being under one's thumb' is synonymous with 'eating out of someone's hand.'
- [x] True
- [ ] False
> **Explanation:** Both idioms denote a person being controlled or submissive to another’s will.
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### What could be an antonym of 'eating out of someone’s hand'?
- [ ] Groveling like a groundhog
- [ ] Nibbling crackers cautiously
- [x] Calling the shots
- [ ] Smoothing over ice
> **Explanation:** An antonym would be something showing control, such as “calling the shots.”
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### Which expression involves animals to show control?
- [ ] Carpeting the ceilings
- [ ] Walking with windmills
- [ ] Eating off the pavement
- [x] Eating out of someone’s hand
> **Explanation:** The phrase figuratively uses a tame animal eating from a person’s hand to imply submission.
Farewell
May your words always empower you and captivate others, whether you’re leading the pack or finding harmony eating out of someone’s hand.
