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brute force

Strong physical force, perhaps that which is exercised without thought or consideration. I couldn't get my car out of the mud until my brothers came along and moved it by brute force. You can't just fix everything with brute force. Sometimes you need to use some finesse.

by brute strength

By sheer force or physical strength. I couldn't get my car out of the mud until my brothers came along and moved it by brute strength.

et tu, Brute?

A phrase used to express one's dismay at mistreatment or betrayal. The phrase is attributed to Julius Caesar, whose close friend Brutus conspired to murder him. The Latin phrase translates to, "And you, Brutus?" Wow, even you're voting against me, Sarah—my own sister? Et tu, Brute?

by brute strength

by great muscular strength. The men moved the heavy door by brute strength.

brute force

Also, brute strength. Savage violence, unreasoning strength, as in We hope that reason will triumph over brute force. Although this expression is also used literally to mean exceptional physical power, the figurative sense reflects the origin for brute, which comes from Latin brutus, for "heavy, stupid, unreasoning." [First half of 1700s]

brute force

Savage, senseless violence; also, sheer strength. The word “brute” came from the Latin brutus, which meant heavy, stupid, and unreasoning. The original meaning survives more in this cliché, dating from the eighteenth century, than in the modern English noun “brute,” which means simply an animal or a cruel person. Brute force is strength applied without thought as, for example, in forcing a lock. Eric Partridge’s compilation of catchphrases records one spelling this out: “brute force and ignorance,” current in Great Britain in the 1970s.

et tu, Brute!

You, my so-called friend, are also betraying me. This expression is generally credited to Shakespeare, who used the exact Latin locution (literally, “and you, Brutus”) in Julius Caesar (3.1) in 1599. However, Shakespeare actually was loosely quoting the real Julius Caesar, who reportedly said, “You too, my child?” when Marcus Brutus stabbed him in 44 b.c. Caesar made this dying remark in Greek (according to Suetonius’s account). Incidentally, “Brute” did not signify “brute” in the sense of animal; it simply is the proper Latin case for this name. A more recent version, with friends like that/you, who needs enemies, became current in America in the 1960s. It usually is a response to a far less dire betrayal—a tactless remark by a friend, for example.

et tu, Brute?

(pronounced “Bru-TAY”) An expression of feeling betrayed. Marcus Brutus was one of the conspirators against Julius Caesar, formerly his great friend. Shakespeare's drama has Caesar's dying words the Latin for “and you, Brutus?” meaning “and you too” and uttered with tragic resignation as the Roman emperor recognized Brutus as one of his assassins.