putty in someone's hands

A person who is easily influenced or malleable, as in Dean adored his little granddaughter; he was putty in her hands. This metaphoric term, first recorded in 1924, transfers the malleable quality of putty to human behavior. Also see twist around one's finger.

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Lucia	loo-CHEE-ah (Italian), LOO-tsee-ah (German), LOO-shə (English), loo-SEE-ə (English)	Italian, German, English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Romanian, Slovak, Ancient Roman
Morris	['mɔris]
Sylvia	SIL-vee-ə (English), SUYL-vee-ah (Finnish)	English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, German
Charlotta	shah-LOT-ah	Swedish
Cho	cho:	Japanese (Rare)
Gorgi	-	Macedonian