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break a butterfly on a wheel

To use unnecessary force to destroy something fragile or achieve something insignificant

Etymology:

  • From a quotation in Alexander Pope's poem "Epistle to Dr Arbuthnot." In times past, to "break someone upon a wheel" referred to a form of punishment or torture, in which a victim had their bones broken or dislocated while strapped to a large wheel.
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Submitted by JokerGem on March 17, 2023

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Nearby phrases

Some more phrases from our dictionary similar to break a butterfly on a wheel

break a legbreak away"whoever sleeps at the wheel, wake…big breakbreak a sweatbehind the wheelbreak a sweatbreak a sweatat the wheelbehind the wheelasleep at the wheelbreak coverbreak coverbreak a sweat

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    "break a butterfly on a wheel." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 31 Oct. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/break-a-butterfly-on-a-wheel_63329>.

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