iron fist

Related to iron fist: rule with an iron fist

an iron fist

1. A particularly severe, forceful, and uncompromising manner of ruling, governing, etc.. Tom is in for it now with his wife. She might seem like a nice lady to us, but she runs her house with an iron fist.
2. Someone who rules in such a way. The new leader of the country rose to power with promises of democracy and equality, but he soon proved to be an iron fist as his despotic intentions came to light.
See also: fist, iron

iron fist

A manner that is severe, forceful, or uncompromising. Grandma runs the house with an iron fist—if you break a rule, you're grounded for weeks.
See also: fist, iron
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

an iron fist

or

an iron hand

COMMON If you do something with an iron fist or an iron hand, you do it with great force and strength. The Generals have ruled the nation with an iron fist for more than half of its independent existence. Peace was enforced with an iron hand in the conquered territories. Note: You can also talk about the iron fist of or the the iron hand of something. The symbol of their rule was not so much the iron fist of repression as the empty shelves of a failing economy.
See also: fist, iron
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

an iron ˈfist/ˈhand (in a velvet ˈglove)

harsh treatment of somebody that is hidden behind a gentle manner: The president ruled his country by using an iron fist in a velvet glove.
See also: fist, hand, iron
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • an iron fist
  • an iron fist/hand
  • an iron hand
  • iron hand
  • an iron hand in a velvet glove
  • an iron fist in a velvet glove
  • an iron fist in the velvet glove
  • toughen up
  • jaw down
  • jaw someone down
References in periodicals archive
Both "Iron Fist" and "Luke Cage" ended with story lines good enough to continue elsewhere.
Will 'Daredevil' stand as Netflix's last Marvel hero?
It is also currently unknown if either Luke Cage or Iron Fist will continue to appear in the remaining Marvel series, or if they will appear in a new show, or if in fact the streaming giant really is done with the characters for good.
Luke Cage cancelled: Netflix ends Marvel superhero series after two seasons; Mike Coulter-led series dropped its final episodes earlier this year
Set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the series starred Finn Jones as Danny Rand, a martial arts expert with a mystical power called the "Iron Fist".
Netflix cancels Marvel's 'Iron Fist'
For patients to be given an involuntary injection when not acutely threatening, typically states require some form of legal application for forced medication (a process that does not appear to have been observed in "Iron Fist").
Inaccurate depictions of inpatient psychiatry and stigma
IRON FIST (FINN JONES) Orphaned and raised by monks to become a lean, mean fighting machine, he returned from being presumed dead to take back his family's business and fight New York City's criminal underworld.
ON DEMAND; GET FOUR MARVEL HEROES FOR THE PRICE OF ONE
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Premier Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel would respond with an "iron fist" if attacked, in a speech marking 10 years since a devastating conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Netanyahu vows to respond with 'iron fist' if attacked
NNA - AL SHARQ AL AWSAT: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques: We will hit with an iron fist anyone who targets our youth He felicitated Muslims on Eid Fitr and confirmed Saudi community works with the state in combating deviant dogmas AL BALAD: Lebanon celebrates Fitr today and condemns Saudi explosions AL ANWAR: UN: Attack on Medina is an attack on Islam AL JOUMHORIYAH: After the Eid...oil, presidency and a special approach towards the displaced AL MOUSTAQBAL: Saudi Monarch calls for protecting youth from fanaticism: We will strike with an iron fist ANNAHAR: Dossiers of security appratuses opened all at once Attacks on patrols and checkpoints in Baalbek R.Z.
NEWSPAPER HEADLINES FOR JULY 6, 2016:
The Iron Fist will book motorists who stop on the shoulders of motorways as well as buses that carry more than their capacity, the report said.
Iron Fist to curb Dubai reckless driving
The project, scheduled to start filming in the summer, will feature the characters Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist.
New Marvel series to film in New York
TEHRAN (FNA)- Terrorism cannot be solved through politics, it should rather be hit with an iron fist, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in a rare speech on Syrian state television.
President Assad: Terror Should Only Be Stricken with Iron Fist
Premier Li Keqiang has promised to tackle pollution and food safety problems with "iron fist and firm resolution."
China will set deadlines to overhaul pollution problems: Premier Keqiang
The contoured design and carbide cutters make the Iron Fist ideal for cobblestone conditions.
Iron Fist
Summary: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has vowed to strike "terrorists" with an iron fist.
Syria's Assad vows to strike with an 'iron fist'
DAMASCUS (TAP) - Syrian has vowed to "strike back with an iron fist" after the reporteddeath ofdozens of peopleina blast in the capital, Damascus.
'Dozens dead' in Damascus bombing
He was a Fascist dictator, who ruled with an iron fist. Admiring columns about European fascists were common enough in the 1930s.
Saving Spain by violent repression? LETTERS