brute
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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.
brute force and (bloody) ignorance
An approach or action that prioritizes strong physical force exercised without thought or consideration. You can't just fix everything with brute force and ignorance. Sometimes you need to use some finesse. The government's reaction to this can't just be brute force and bloody ignorance.
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?
See also: ET
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
by brute strength
by great muscular strength. The men moved the heavy door by brute strength.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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.
See also: ET
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer
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.
See also: ET
Endangered Phrases by Steven D. Price Copyright © 2011 by Steven D. Price