eat out of someone's hand

• eat from someone's hand

An allusion to the manner in which a tame animal can be fed.

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eat out of someone's hand (third-person singular simple present eats out of someone's hand, present participle eating out of someone's hand, simple past ate out of someone's hand, past participle eaten out of someone's hand)

1. (idiomatic) To behave in a docile, submissive way towards someone.
   • 1954, Earl Wilson, "Earl Wilson's Broadway," Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 7 Oct., p. 17 (retrieved 20 July 2010):

     When a woman has her husband eating out of her hand, says Washout, you can bet she also has him eating out of cans.

   • 2003, Tom Fordyce, "Saturday's Paris diary," BBC News, 30 Aug. (retrieved 20 July 2010):

     Jana Pittman, the new 400m hurdles world champion, had the media eating out of her hand in the aftermath of her victory.

   • 2008, Dave Duncan, The Alchemist's Apprentice‎, →ISBN, page 151:

     Violetta is well aware of all this and goes out of her way to charm him. . . . He eats out of her hand and would not notice if she fed him rocks.

• Often used to describe a man's submissiveness to a woman due to romantic attraction.
• Usually used in the present participial form: eating out of someone's hand.

• putty in someone's hands
• wrap around one's little finger