sledgehammers
Two-handed demolition tools
Sledgehammers are heavy, long-handled hammers swung with both hands for maximum force—used to drive stakes, break concrete, or demolish walls.
The weight does the work.
Figuratively, a sledgehammer approach lacks subtlety: The prosecution took a sledgehammer to the defense's argument.
To use a sledgehammer to crack a nut is to apply excessive force to a simple problem.
Vertical enclosing structures
- concreteSolid building mixture
- breakingComing apart suddenly
- smashingBritish slang for excellent
- destructionAct of completely ruining
rubble · drywall · bricks · renovation · teardown · debris · crumbling · studs
Headed striking tools
- maulsAttacks with brutal force
- handlesGrasping parts or manages
- steelCarbon-hardened iron alloy
- headsTop of bodies
weights · swings · grips · forged · iron · double-faced · hickory · fiberglass
People doing jobs
- crewsWorking groups aboard
- strengthPower to exert force
- exertionVigorous physical effort
- manualWritten instructions for use
toil · sweat · backbreaking · muscles · fatigue · worksite · hauling · grunt
Dull or tactlessly direct
- forcefulExerting strong pressure
- aggressiveHostile and confrontational
- overkillUnnecessary additional effort
- unsubtleLacking nuance or delicacy
heavy-handed · crushing · overwhelming · brute-force · direct · uncompromising · harsh · drastic
walls
Vertical enclosing structures
destruction · rubble · drywall · bricks · renovation · teardown · debris · crumbling · studs · plaster
mallets
Headed striking tools
heads · weights · swings · grips · forged · iron · double-faced · hickory · fiberglass · pounding
workers
People doing jobs
manual · toil · sweat · backbreaking · muscles · fatigue · worksite · hauling · grunt · calloused
blunt
Dull or tactlessly direct
- forcefulExerting strong pressure
- aggressiveHostile and confrontational
- overkillUnnecessary additional effort
unsubtle · heavy-handed · crushing · overwhelming · brute-force · direct · uncompromising · harsh · drastic · extreme
stakes
Posts or wagers
railroad · spikes · fencing · wedges · anchors · pilings · tamping · pounding · ground · soil
- hand toolsscrewdriver, wrench, pliers, saw, chisel
- rage roomssmashing, destruction, breaking, catharsis, stress relief
sledgehammersscalpels
Thin-bladed medical knives
precision instruments · tweezers · surgical instruments · needles · forceps
sledgehammersscalpels
Thin-bladed medical knives
feathers · kid gloves · subtle hints · whispers · caresses
- use a sledgehammer to crack a nutExcessive means for trivial ends