mike was doing dishes because ann had him by the balls (literal)  big business has the world by the balls (figurative)
when someone has literal or figurative control of a man through a grip on his testicles (getting his conpliance by squeezing or threatening to squeeze them
"mike was doing dishes because ann had him by the balls (literal)  big business has the world by the balls (figurative)" What is the definition of "by the balls"?