to make someone do what you want by making it difficult for them to refuse
to persuade someone to do what they don’t want
to pressurize someone
to coerce, force or cajole someone
to strongly encourage someone to do what they don’t want to do
I did not want to attend the concert, but he twisted my arm into it.
They had to twist his arm a bit, but they managed to get him to join the team.
We had to twist his arm to get the information out of him.
I’ve twisted his arm a bit and he will get you the passes to the event.
Do you intend to cooperate or should we twist your arm?
If he doesn’t agree, you have to twist his arm till you get him to agree.
The witness was reluctant to cooperate at first, but when the police twisted his arm, he came out with the details.
If you find him difficult, just twist his arm a bit and he’ll comply.
There is no origin for this idiom
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definition
Common phrase that has a specific meaning.