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Definition

To exercise total control over someone; to be in a position to threaten or extort someone.

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In Context

  • "You think I wouldn't have him Unless I could have him by the balls You think I just dish it out You don't think I take it at all"
  • "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 he had me by the balls as soon as he saw me wearing the shirt."
  • "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, they have him by the balls because 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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Also Said As

  • have someone by the short hairs § Synonyms