"break a butterfly upon the wheel" meaning in English

{
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  "etymology_text": "Coined by English poet Alexander Pope in 1734 in Epistle to Dr Arbuthnot.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "breaks a butterfly upon the wheel",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "breaking a butterfly upon the wheel",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "broke a butterfly upon the wheel",
      "tags": [
        "past"
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    {
      "form": "broken a butterfly upon the wheel",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
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  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "break<,,broke,broken> a butterfly upon the wheel"
      },
      "expansion": "break a butterfly upon the wheel (third-person singular simple present breaks a butterfly upon the wheel, present participle breaking a butterfly upon the wheel, simple past broke a butterfly upon the wheel, past participle broken a butterfly upon the wheel)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "100 0",
      "word": "butterfly upon a wheel"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "100 0",
      "word": "use a sledgehammer to crack a nut"
    }
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          "ref": "1734, Alexander Pope, An Epistle from Mr. Pope, to Dr. Arbuthnot",
          "roman": "This painted Child of Dirt that ſtinks and ſtings",
          "text": "Let Paris tremble—“What? that Thing of ſilk,\n“Paris, that mere white Curd of Aſs’s milk?\n“Satire or Shame alas! can Paris feel?\n“Who breaks a Butterfly upon a Wheel?”\nYet let me flap this Bug with gilded wings,",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To inflict a punishment out of all proportion to the offence."
      ],
      "id": "en-break_a_butterfly_upon_the_wheel-en-verb-ImEvsgA8",
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          "inflict",
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      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To employ great exertions for insignificant ends."
      ],
      "id": "en-break_a_butterfly_upon_the_wheel-en-verb-9ZmcnzAd",
      "links": [
        [
          "exertion",
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          "insignificant",
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      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "to employ great exertions for insignificant ends",
          "word": "ampua tykillä kärpästä"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "100 0",
      "word": "break a butterfly on a wheel"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "100 0",
      "word": "break a butterfly on the wheel"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "100 0",
      "word": "break a butterfly upon a wheel"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "100 0",
      "word": "break a fly on a wheel"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "100 0",
      "word": "break a fly on the wheel"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "100 0",
      "word": "break a fly upon a wheel"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "100 0",
      "word": "break a fly upon the wheel"
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "Epistle to Dr Arbuthnot"
  ],
  "word": "break a butterfly upon the wheel"
}

{
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    "English multiword terms",
    "English terms coined by Alexander Pope",
    "English verbs"
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  ],
  "etymology_text": "Coined by English poet Alexander Pope in 1734 in Epistle to Dr Arbuthnot.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "breaks a butterfly upon the wheel",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "breaking a butterfly upon the wheel",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
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    },
    {
      "form": "broke a butterfly upon the wheel",
      "tags": [
        "past"
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    },
    {
      "form": "broken a butterfly upon the wheel",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
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  ],
  "head_templates": [
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      "args": {
        "1": "break<,,broke,broken> a butterfly upon the wheel"
      },
      "expansion": "break a butterfly upon the wheel (third-person singular simple present breaks a butterfly upon the wheel, present participle breaking a butterfly upon the wheel, simple past broke a butterfly upon the wheel, past participle broken a butterfly upon the wheel)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "butterfly upon a wheel"
    },
    {
      "word": "use a sledgehammer to crack a nut"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
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        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
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          "ref": "1734, Alexander Pope, An Epistle from Mr. Pope, to Dr. Arbuthnot",
          "roman": "This painted Child of Dirt that ſtinks and ſtings",
          "text": "Let Paris tremble—“What? that Thing of ſilk,\n“Paris, that mere white Curd of Aſs’s milk?\n“Satire or Shame alas! can Paris feel?\n“Who breaks a Butterfly upon a Wheel?”\nYet let me flap this Bug with gilded wings,",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To inflict a punishment out of all proportion to the offence."
      ],
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    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "To employ great exertions for insignificant ends."
      ],
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          "exertion",
          "exertion"
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          "insignificant",
          "insignificant"
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  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "break a butterfly on a wheel"
    },
    {
      "word": "break a butterfly on the wheel"
    },
    {
      "word": "break a butterfly upon a wheel"
    },
    {
      "word": "break a fly on a wheel"
    },
    {
      "word": "break a fly on the wheel"
    },
    {
      "word": "break a fly upon a wheel"
    },
    {
      "word": "break a fly upon the wheel"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to employ great exertions for insignificant ends",
      "word": "ampua tykillä kärpästä"
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "Epistle to Dr Arbuthnot"
  ],
  "word": "break a butterfly upon the wheel"
}