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Thread: treat or handle?

  1. #1
    dilodi83 is offline Senior Member
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    Default treat or handle?

    Her boyfriend treated her like a marionette.
    Her boyfriend handled her like a marionette.

    Which expression is more correct?

    Any other expressions or verbs or phrasal verbs to indicate that somene is subdued to another person and he/she is a puppet in the other's hands?

  2. #2
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    Bennevis is offline Senior Member
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    Default Re: treat or handle?

    Her boyfriend treated her like a marionette.

    Her boyfriend manipulated her like a marionette.
    Her boyfriend yanked her around like a marionette.
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    BobK is offline Harmless drudge
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    Default Re: treat or handle?

    The word 'marionette' is not very common in Br English. When I had them I called them 'string puppets'. Coincidentally, thie sort of relationship was referred to in a popsong in the mid-sixties called 'Puppet on a String'.

    b
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    Default Re: treat or handle?

    Quote Originally Posted by dilodi83 View Post
    Any other expressions or verbs or phrasal verbs to indicate that somene is subdued to another person and he/she is a puppet in the other's hands?
    Her boyfriend knew how to pull her strings.
    Her boyfriend knew how to push her buttons.
    Her boyfriend was the dominant partner in a co-dependency relationship.
    She had surrendered all her volition to him.
    Her had her under his spell.
    ...
    5jj, dilodi83 and mara_ce like this.

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