velvet glove
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“We’ve got to a point where we can no longer be able to afford the velvet glove diplomacy.”
From Seattle Times • Sep. 16, 2023
After leading with McBride’s iron fist, a union insider said, the group intends to follow up with the velvet glove of more moderate board members.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2020
As overlord, you can rule your gang with either velvet glove or iron fist.
From The Guardian • Dec. 11, 2019
The haleem, a silky stew of chicken, lentils and grains, is a punch of Pakistani spice delivered with a velvet glove.
From Washington Post • Apr. 25, 2017
He was a young promoted clerk, a Scotsman born, with little experience of the Canadian wilds, but with the natural faculty of rule and a good deal of diplomacy—the gauntlet in the velvet glove.
From All Afloat A Chronicle of Craft and Waterways by Wood, William Charles Henry
