Jockey Someone Into Doing vs. Jockey Someone To Do
Cambridge documents jockey + object + into + -ing for persuading or manoeuvring someone into an action, often through clever pressure. This is a specific into-construction; the cited evidence does not establish jockey + object + to-infinitive as a symmetric alternative.
Use “jockey someone into doing something” for the directly documented persuasion/manoeuvring pattern; do not assume “jockey someone to do” has equal support.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| manoeuvre or pressure a person into an action | jockey + person + into + -ing | Use the directly documented “jockey someone into doing” pattern. |
| assume a person + to-infinitive is interchangeable | jockey + person + to do | Do not present this as equally supported by the reviewed source. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Are you naming the action a person was manoeuvred or pressured into taking?
If yes: Use “jockey + person + into + -ing.”
If no: Recast rather than substituting a bare person + to-infinitive pattern.
Caveat: This guide is limited to the directly reviewed complement pattern and does not claim to catalogue every sense of “jockey.”
Examples
They jockeyed the committee into reopening the vote.
The person/group is followed by “into” plus -ing.
The rivals tried to jockey one another into revealing their plans.
The resulting action follows the documented pattern.
She refused to be jockeyed into signing early.
The passive keeps “into + -ing.”
Further guidance
Boundary
This is a specific into-construction; the cited evidence does not establish jockey + object + to-infinitive as a symmetric alternative.
Construction
Cambridge documents jockey + object + into + -ing for persuading or manoeuvring someone into an action, often through clever pressure.
Decision
Use “jockey someone into doing something” for the directly documented persuasion/manoeuvring pattern; do not assume “jockey someone to do” has equal support.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- jockey someone into something/doing something — Cambridge English Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Jockey + object + into + -ing construction for manipulative persuasion