have someone by the balls

Meaning: (slang,vulgar,idiomatic)To exercisetotalcontrolover someone; to be in a position tothreatenorextortsomeone.1992,Ani DiFranco,I'm No Heroine:You think I wouldn't have himUnless I couldhave him by the ballsYou think I just dish it outYou don't think I take it at all2004, Mark A. Roeder,Someone is Watching, page138:I feared what was to come. I was knuckling under to my blackmailer. It was a sure sign of weakness. If he didn't already, he'd know hehad me by the ballsas soon as he saw me wearing the shirt.November 13 2012, Socialitelife.com,‘Dexter’ Recap: ‘Chemistry’[1]Angel Batista immediately makes the connection that Quinn has been banging Nadia, a stripper working for Isaac’s people. Quinn adamantly denies that he would steal evidence and then storms into the strip club to demand that Nadia be set free. Unfortunately, theyhave him by the ballsbecause they could kill Nadia at any moment and destroy Quinn’s police career once and for all if they revealed his tampering with evidence.

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