velvet
noun /ˈvelvɪt/
/ˈvelvɪt/
[uncountable]Idioms - a type of cloth made from silk, cotton or nylon, with a thick, soft surface
- a velvet dress
- velvet curtains/drapes
- curtains of heavy crimson velvet
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- heavy
- thick
- soft
- …
- of velvet
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French veluotte, from velu ‘velvety’, from medieval Latin villutus, from Latin villus ‘tuft, down’.
Idioms
an iron fist/hand (in a velvet glove)
- if you use the words an iron fist/hand when describing the way that somebody behaves, you mean that they treat people severely. This treatment may be hidden behind a kind appearance (the velvet glove).
- They promised that the army would strike with an iron fist at any resistance.
- The iron hand in the velvet glove approach seems to work best with this age group.