to exert influence behind the scenes, esp through personal connections; pull strings
See full dictionary entry for wire
pull wires in American English
US
to use private influence to achieve a purpose
See full dictionary entry for wire
Examples of 'pull wires' in a sentence
pull wires
The device consists of foldable membranes that are suspended between flexible stems and actuated by push-pull wires.
Jinda Zhuang, Y. Sungtaek Ju 2014, 'Deployable and Conformal Planar Micro-Devices: Design and Model Validation', Micromachineshttp://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/5/3/528. Retrieved from DOAJ CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)