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"To throw one's weight around" and "pull rank" appear to have same meaning and connotation. Any other idiom with the same meaning ? Or other idioms which can be grouped together meaning-wise. Grateful if somebody can throw light on this.
Could you please explain the difference between them.
As of my understanding, both convey showing off one's position or rank or importance.
Throw your weight around used literally, implies that a physically bigger person uses their larger size to dominate a situation. E.g "Tommy, you are three years older than the other children so don't throw your weight around."
Pull rank is usually used in a military context where a diference in rank is imposed
"I wanted to attack from the left but Captain Miller, being the senior officer, pulled rank and insisted we do nothing."
Both can be used more figuratively but it's difficult to imagine how they could be used synonymously.
Last edited by MartinEnglish; 16-Dec-2012 at 11:44.
Thanks, Martin.
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