use a sledgehammer to crack a nut

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• Received-Pronunciation: /ˌjuːz‿ə ˈslɛd͡ʒhæmə tə ˌkɹæk‿ə ˈnʌt/
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• General-American: /ˌjuz‿ə ˈslɛd͡ʒhæmɚ tə ˌkɹæk‿ə ˈnʌt/
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• Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• rhymes with -ʌt
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The analogy dates back to at least the middle of the 19th century: see, for example, this quotation from Levi Carroll Judson’s work Sages and Heroes of the American Revolution (1851): “He at once became the nucleus around which a band of patriots gathered and formed a nut too hard to be cracked by the sledgehammer of monarchy.”

16 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Czech: jít s kanónem na vrabce — to use disproportionate or significantly excessive force to carry out an action
• Danish: skyde spurve med kanoner — to use disproportionate or significantly excessive force to carry out an action
• Dutch: met een kanon op een mug schieten — to use disproportionate or significantly excessive force to carry out an action
• Finnish: ampua tykillä kärpästä — to use disproportionate or significantly excessive force to carry out an action
• French: écraser une mouche avec un marteau — to use disproportionate or significantly excessive force to carry out an action
• French: tuer une mouche avec un canon — to use disproportionate or significantly excessive force to carry out an action
• German: mit Kanonen auf Spatzen schießen — to use disproportionate or significantly excessive force to carry out an action
• Hungarian: ágyúval verébre — to use disproportionate or significantly excessive force to carry out an action
• Italian: sparare agli uccellini col cannone — to use disproportionate or significantly excessive force to carry out an action
• Norwegian Bokmål: skyte spurv med kanoner — to use disproportionate or significantly excessive force to carry out an action
• Norwegian Nynorsk: skyte sporv med kanonar — to use disproportionate or significantly excessive force to carry out an action
• Polish: strzelać z armaty do muchy — to use disproportionate or significantly excessive force to carry out an action
• Spanish: matar moscas a cañonazos — to use disproportionate or significantly excessive force to carry out an action
• Swedish: skjuta sparvar med kanoner — to use disproportionate or significantly excessive force to carry out an action
• Welsh: cymryd gordd i dorri cneuen — to use disproportionate or significantly excessive force to carry out an action
• Welsh: to llosgi'r gwely i ladd y chwannen — to use disproportionate or significantly excessive force to carry out an action