From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpull stringspull stringsto secretly use your influence with important people in order to get what you want or to help someone else Francis pulled strings to get him out of trouble. → pull
Examples from the Corpus
pull strings• Mrs Naulls was in Sunningdale because her son Stanley was a Hilderbridge councillor and had pulled strings.• This, of course, leaves Karadzic amply able to pull strings from backstage.• Elfed could and did pull strings on the local Co-operative committee.• Samuels pulled strings to get her daughter a job in Mitchell's office.• He pulled strings to get the two of them into a university.• Gooch has developed as a captain, too, pulling strings whereas before he might have retreated. 