Use a Sledgehammer to Crack a Nut
2022-07-03
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1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
2There are many kinds of nuts.
3There are walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, and pistachios - just to name a few.
4Nuts are good for you.
5And they come in their own very hard shell.
6So, let's say you want to eat a walnut but do not have a nutcracker.
7(A "nutcracker" is a tool to open, or crack, the hard shell of a nut.)
8Without a nutcracker, you might try to open it with something like a hammer or even a sledgehammer.
9We use a hammer in building jobs to attach pieces of wood with nails.
10And we use a sledgehammer to break up rocks, tear down walls, or destroy things.
11A sledgehammer is so big and heavy that most people need to use both hands to raise it.
12So, if you use a sledgehammer to crack a nut, you will probably destroy the nut inside.
13Then you will have nothing to eat but very small pieces of nut mixed with its hard shell. Not good.
14In American English, this expression means someone uses more force than is necessary.
15We also use it to describe problem-solving methods that are extreme.
16The methods are excessive.
17And in using such over-the-top, or extreme, measures, you can harm your own cause.
18For example, a store owner called the police to report a "violent person" who was threatening employees and holding him hostage.
19When the 20 police officers arrived to the store, the "violent person" turned out to be an 80-year-old woman who was unhappy about a purchase and refused to leave.
20The police captain probably would have said something like this: "Her? I brought 20 police officers for her? That's like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut!"
21And the store owner would possibly be fined for calling in a false report.
22Sometimes we use this expression to describe a punishment that is over-the-top or does not fit the severity of the crime.
23Let's say a child disobeyed his parents and ate ice cream before a meal.
24The father punished his child by taking away his food for three days!
25That is definitely using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
26In other words, the punishment does not fit the crime.
27Sometimes this expression means the solution to a small problem is overly complex.
28For example, once at a bookstore, too many people showed up for an event.
29They had to wait in long lines and some could not get into the store to speak with the writer.
30So, now the bookstore asks people who come to events to sign three forms saying they understand they may have to wait and may not get in.
31Talk about using a hammer to crack a nut.
32Please note. When using this expression, we sometimes say "hammer" instead of "sledgehammer."
33A hammer may be smaller, but the damage is still the same.
34And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo.
1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. 2There are many kinds of nuts. There are walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, and pistachios - just to name a few. 3Nuts are good for you. And they come in their own very hard shell. So, let's say you want to eat a walnut but do not have a nutcracker. (A "nutcracker" is a tool to open, or crack, the hard shell of a nut.) 4Without a nutcracker, you might try to open it with something like a hammer or even a sledgehammer. 5We use a hammer in building jobs to attach pieces of wood with nails. And we use a sledgehammer to break up rocks, tear down walls, or destroy things. A sledgehammer is so big and heavy that most people need to use both hands to raise it. 6So, if you use a sledgehammer to crack a nut, you will probably destroy the nut inside. Then you will have nothing to eat but very small pieces of nut mixed with its hard shell. Not good. 7In American English, this expression means someone uses more force than is necessary. We also use it to describe problem-solving methods that are extreme. The methods are excessive. And in using such over-the-top, or extreme, measures, you can harm your own cause. 8For example, a store owner called the police to report a "violent person" who was threatening employees and holding him hostage. When the 20 police officers arrived to the store, the "violent person" turned out to be an 80-year-old woman who was unhappy about a purchase and refused to leave. 9The police captain probably would have said something like this: "Her? I brought 20 police officers for her? That's like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut!" And the store owner would possibly be fined for calling in a false report. 10Sometimes we use this expression to describe a punishment that is over-the-top or does not fit the severity of the crime. 11Let's say a child disobeyed his parents and ate ice cream before a meal. The father punished his child by taking away his food for three days! That is definitely using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. In other words, the punishment does not fit the crime. 12Sometimes this expression means the solution to a small problem is overly complex. 13For example, once at a bookstore, too many people showed up for an event. They had to wait in long lines and some could not get into the store to speak with the writer. So, now the bookstore asks people who come to events to sign three forms saying they understand they may have to wait and may not get in. Talk about using a hammer to crack a nut. 14Please note. When using this expression, we sometimes say "hammer" instead of "sledgehammer." A hammer may be smaller, but the damage is still the same. 15And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo. 16Anna Matteo wrote this for VOA Learning English. 17______________________________________________________________________ 18Words in This Story 19crack - v. to break or cause to break with a sudden sharp sound 20excessive - adj. more than what is usual, proper, necessary, or normal 21over-the-top - adj. extremely or excessively flamboyant or outrageous