an iron hand in a velvet glove
an iron fist in a velvet glove

"She has always done her work with a steely backbone, a smile and an iron hand in a velvet glove.

Some New York Republicans say that Ms. Pirro might just beat Mrs. Clinton at her own game: appealing to voters as a middle-of-the-road politician who has broken through glass ceilings using a style evocative of an iron hand in a velvet glove.

Caitlin Moran in The Times called this "an iron hand in a velvet glove", while Allison Pearson in The Daily Telegraph lauded its ability to "tickle the middle of the brow while touching the most anguished parts of the human condition".

One American trade official calls the strategy "an iron fist in a velvet glove."

The protuberance under her fingers felt soft and hard at the same time, an iron fist in a velvet glove.

He's a boss with an iron fist in a velvet glove, and his crews are loyal to a fault.

The title is German and translates to "An iron fist in a velvet glove".

It is most famously described as "the queen of all Burgundy" and "an iron fist in a velvet glove".

Florence is a short, cozy, dark-haired 60-year-old whom people describe as "an iron fist in a velvet glove."

A special Christmas duplicate game was ruled with an iron fist in a velvet glove by the great Olive Petersen.

Chan was often described during this era as an "Iron Lady", with "an iron fist in a velvet glove".

"Roger ruled with an iron fist in a velvet glove," added Ms. Beauchamp, until recently the president of men's wear at Donna Karan International.

In relation to Central and Eastern European countries, we have had success with our policy, which can probably best be characterised as an iron fist in a velvet glove.

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'.

Jim Santella of The Buffalo News writes "Like an iron fist in a velvet glove, the power of Celine Dion's voice is cloaked in a silky vibrato that betrays the intensity of her vocal commitment."