break a butterfly upon the wheel en · VERB
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
Etymology
Coined by English poet Alexander Pope in 1734 in Epistle to Dr Arbuthnot.
Meanings
-
To inflict a punishment out of all proportion to the offence.
Let Paris tremble—“What? that Thing of ſilk, “Paris, that mere white Curd of Aſs’s milk? “Satire or Shame alas! can Paris feel? “Who breaks a Butterfly upon a Wheel?” Yet let me flap this Bug with gilded wings, This painted Child of Dirt that ſtinks and ſtings
1734, Alexander Pope, An Epistle from Mr. Pope, to Dr. Arbuthnot:
- To employ great exertions for insignificant ends.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| breaking a butterfly upon the wheel | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| break a fly upon the wheel | alternative | lexicographic | |
| broke a butterfly upon the wheel | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| break a butterfly on the wheel | alternative | lexicographic | |
| break a fly on a wheel | alternative | lexicographic | |
| break a butterfly upon a wheel | alternative | lexicographic | |
| broken a butterfly upon the wheel | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| break a fly upon a wheel | alternative | lexicographic | |
| breaks a butterfly upon the wheel | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| break a butterfly on a wheel | alternative | lexicographic | |
| break a fly on the wheel | alternative | lexicographic |
Relateds
butterfly upon a wheel · use a sledgehammer to crack a nut
Translations (1)
fi ampua tykillä kärpästä (to employ great exertions for insignificant ends)