squeeze (something) out of (someone/something)

to get something with great effort from someone or something.

Albert was good at thinking of ways to squeeze money out of his father in England.

Fred didn't like to tell the truth, and you had to squeeze it out of him.

• like a lost soul
• like a man possessed
• like a million dollars
• like a shag on a rock
• like a shot
• like a ton of bricks
• like a woman possessed
• like blue blazes
• like clockwork
• like crazy
• like death
• like death warmed up
• like gangbusters
• like gold dust
• like greased lightning
• like hell
• like I said
• like it or lump it
• like it's going out of fashion
• likely story.
• like mad
• like moths to a flame
• like nobody's business
• like nothing on earth
• like pulling teeth