nut (redirected from take a sledgehammer to crack a nut)

be off your nut (informal)

to be crazy. You can't do that! Are you off your nut or what?

do your nut (British & Australian, informal)

to become extremely angry. If she has to walk from the station again she'll do her nut.

a hard/tough nut

someone who is difficult to deal with because they are unpleasant or very determined to get what they want. People don't tend to mess with Sue. She's a tough nut.

See also: hard, tough

a hard/tough nut to crack

a difficult problem to solve. A company whose product has sold well in the States may find the European market a tougher nut to crack.

See also: crack, hard, tough

use a sledgehammer to crack a nut (British & Australian)

to do something with more force than is necessary to achieve the result you want. Sending ten men to arrest one small boy was a clear case of using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

See also: crack, use

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a tough nut (to crack)

a difficult problem to solve. Unemployment is a tough nut. Overcoming local trade barriers is going to be a hard nut to crack.

See also: tough