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Citation Information
How to Cite
Manser, Martin H. "an iron fist in a velvet glove." Writer's Reference Center. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 17 Apr. 2025. <http://fofweb.infobase.com/wrc/Detail.aspx?iPin=DOA01770>.
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an iron fist in a velvet glove

Definition 
Ruthlessness or tyrannical rule disguised by a polite, soothing manner. The phrase (sometimes also found in the form an iron hand in a velvet glove) alludes to the policies of Napoleonic France concerning conquered territories in the early 19th century, and is often attributed to Napoleon himself, although something similar may have been uttered at an earlier date by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. "When she later read (at Clare's instigation) the Pankhursts' story, with the exhortation to suffragettes to be 'an iron fist in a velvet glove,' she immediately linked that image with the symbol of 'fist-in-a-bag'" (Jane Rogers, Her Living Image, 1990).

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