have someone by the short hairs

Meanings:

• 1.

  generalhistoricalliteralcolloquial
  • To grasp a person by the short hairs, implying a physical hold on a small patch of hair.

• 2.

  United KingdomUnited Statesidiomaticcolloquialinformal
  • To have someone in a difficult or helpless situation from which they cannot easily escape, thereby giving the controller leverage or dominance.