Coz znaczy idiom...

[Gość: Andrzej]

"Butterfly on the wheel"? Jesli w ogole cos znaczy.

[Gość: KBB]

It's a quote by Alexander Pope - "Who breaks a butterfly on a wheel?" - meaning
exaggeration:
Writing in the 15th Century, Pope was witness to the hideous tortures méted out
to all kinds of miscreants, breaking the villain's bones on a wheel with an iron
bar being one of the more inventive. To break a delicate creature like a
butterfly in such a brutal way as upon a wheel has come to be synonymous with
applying superabundant effort in the accomplishment of a small matter. A modern,
if far less gruesome, equivalent would be to use a sledge hammer to crack a nut.

Also, "Butterfly on a wheel" is the title of an album by The Mission.

IDIOM?

[republican]

Gość portalu: KBB napisał(a):

> It's a quote by Alexander Pope - "Who breaks a butterfly on a wheel?" -
meaning
> exaggeration:
> Writing in the 15th Century, Pope was witness to the hideous tortures méted
out
> to all kinds of miscreants, breaking the villain's bones on a wheel with an
iro
> n
> bar being one of the more inventive. To break a delicate creature like a
> butterfly in such a brutal way as upon a wheel has come to be synonymous with
> applying superabundant effort in the accomplishment of a small matter. A
modern
> ,
> if far less gruesome, equivalent would be to use a sledge hammer to crack a
nut
> .
>
> Also, "Butterfly on a wheel" is the title of an album by The Mission.

The expression above is NOT an idiom, vide:
"Main Entry: id·i·om
Pronunciation: 'i-dE-&m
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle French & Late Latin; Middle French idiome, from Late Latin
idioma individual peculiarity of language, from Greek idiOmat-, idiOma, from
idiousthai to appropriate, from idios"

As in:
keep one's chin up: remain brave and confident in a difficult situation;
don't despair or worry too much.

[Gość: KBB]

I didn't say that it's an idiom, I said that it's a quote. Quotes can still have
meaning though.

[republican]

Gość portalu: KBB napisał(a):

> I didn't say that it's an idiom, I said that it's a quote. Quotes can still
hav
> e
> meaning though.

Well someone did, no offense intended.

[Gość: KBB]

> Well someone did, no offense intended.

None taken.

[spiral_architect]

> The expression above is NOT an idiom, vide:
> "Main Entry: id·i·om
> Pronunciation: 'i-dE-&m
> Function: noun
> Etymology: Middle French & Late Latin; Middle French idiome, from Late Latin
> idioma individual peculiarity of language, from Greek idiOmat-, idiOma, from
> idiousthai to appropriate, from idios"
>
> As in:
> keep one's chin up: remain brave and confident in a difficult situation;
> don't despair or worry too much.
>
>

Thank You as well !

[spiral_architect]

>
> Also, "Butterfly on a wheel" is the title of an album by The Mission.

That's where my question came from. But it's not the title of the album. It's
title of the song only. This expression/quote appears also in "Soul Asylum"-
song of band named The Cult. Astbury starts singing with "Who would break a
butterfly on the wheel"

Thank You very much for such a precise answer !