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
A Republican colleague, Rep. E. Clay Shaw Jr., once told the Herald that Ms. Meek had “a velvet glove, but sometimes she can have a fist in it. She’s so likable that it’s sometimes disarming.”
From Washington Post • Nov. 29, 2021
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
“It’s nice if you can put a velvet glove over the iron fist.”
From New York Times • Feb. 21, 2018
Therein lies the secret of all power: the velvet glove and the iron hand may be an old saying, but it is a truth never old.
From A House-Party Don Gesualdo and A Rainy June by Ouida
