heavy hand
Rule without gentleness
A heavy hand is an oppressive or overly forceful manner of control.
Someone who rules with a heavy hand exercises authority harshly, without subtlety or restraint: The new manager's heavy hand alienated the staff.
Heavy-handed describes the same quality as an adjective: heavy-handed enforcement of minor regulations.
- iron fistBrutal autocratic rule
- iron gripExtremely tight grasp
- oppressionUnjust exercise of power
- authoritarianFavoring absolute control
- forcefulExerting strong pressure
strong arm · domineering · tyranny · control · crushing · stern · harsh · no nonsense · overbearing · dictator · discipline · cracking down · grip · clamp · pressure · strictness · law and order · ruthless
- power metaphorsiron fist, iron grip, reins, puppet master, pulling strings
- body idiomsheart of gold, heart of stone, cold heart, warm heart, soft heart
- powerauthority, electric power, nuclear power, solar power, wind power
- seasoning mistakesoversalting, too salty, undersalting, bland food, too spicy
governance and authority style
heavy handlaissez-faire
Noninterference in commerce
soft touch · velvet glove · kid gloves · permissiveness · leniency
heavy, hand, heavier, heaviest, heavily, heaviness, hands, handed, handing