To persuade someone to do something, often implying they needed little convincing; used ironically when someone readily agrees.
This phrase emerged in the mid-20th century, referencing the playground tactic of arm-twisting as a form of mild coercion. The ironic usage developed because actual arm-twisting wasn't needed - the person was already willing, making the 'persuasion' unnecessary.
The phrase is almost always used sarcastically in modern English, creating a delightful linguistic contradiction - we say we had to 'twist someone's arm' precisely when we didn't have to convince them at all. This ironic usage reveals how much we enjoy the theatrical exaggeration of describing easy persuasion as forceful coercion.
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