use excessive means for a small task
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- 1 use excessive means for a small task、use more force than necessary、use a sledgehammer to crack a nut
This idiom means using far more effort, money, or force than a small task requires. It criticizes a mismatch between the size of the problem and the size of the response.
use excessive means for a small task、use more force than necessary、use a sledgehammer to crack a nut
Used when someone applies an excessive method or amount of effort to a minor task.
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ทำแบบนี้ก็เหมือนขี่ช้างจับตั๊กแตน tham bɛ̀ɛp níi kɔ̂ɔ mʉ̌an khìi cháaŋ càp tákkatɛɛn Doing it this way is like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. ทำแบบนี้ก็เหมือนขี่ช้างจับตั๊กแตน details
Learning notes
Explanation
Literally, it means “ride an elephant to catch a grasshopper.” The image is intentionally disproportionate: an elephant is a huge method, while a grasshopper is a tiny target. The idiom is used for situations where the effort, cost, staff, procedure, or force is much larger than the task deserves.
Usage
Use it when talking about inefficient or exaggerated responses, such as holding a big meeting for a tiny issue, hiring expensive help for a simple task, or creating a complicated process for an easy check.
Caution
It is normally not used literally. It does not simply mean “doing something difficult”; the key idea is that the task is small but the method is too large or excessive.