"hammer and tongs" meaning in English

{
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "hammer and tongs (not comparable)",
      "name": "en-adv"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adv",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English coordinated pairs",
          "parents": [
            "Coordinated pairs",
            "Terms by etymology"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Icelandic translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "When they had an argument they went at it hammer and tongs.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1928, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, chapter XIV, in Lady Chatterley’s Lover, [Germany?]: Privately printed, →OCLC:",
          "text": "She sort of let things go, didn't get me a proper dinner when I came home from work, and if I said anything, flew out at me. And I flew back, hammer and tongs.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "In a manner indicating seriousness of intent and capability of harm."
      ],
      "id": "en-hammer_and_tongs-en-adv-YW8xKi1E",
      "links": [
        [
          "seriousness",
          "seriousness"
        ],
        [
          "intent",
          "intent"
        ],
        [
          "capability",
          "capability"
        ],
        [
          "harm",
          "harm"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) In a manner indicating seriousness of intent and capability of harm."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "hot and heavy"
        },
        {
          "word": "intensely"
        },
        {
          "word": "no holds barred"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "not-comparable"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "is",
          "english": "go at something hammer and tongs",
          "lang": "Icelandic",
          "sense": "With tools indicating seriousness of intent and capability of harm",
          "word": "ganga í af lífs og sálar kröftum"
        },
        {
          "code": "is",
          "english": "go at something hammer and tongs",
          "lang": "Icelandic",
          "sense": "With tools indicating seriousness of intent and capability of harm",
          "word": "leggja sig allan fram"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-hammer and tongs.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/05/En-au-hammer_and_tongs.ogg/En-au-hammer_and_tongs.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/En-au-hammer_and_tongs.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "hammer and tongs"
}

{
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "hammer and tongs (not comparable)",
      "name": "en-adv"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adv",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English adverbs",
        "English coordinated pairs",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English idioms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples",
        "English uncomparable adverbs",
        "Entries with translation boxes",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries",
        "Terms with Icelandic translations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "When they had an argument they went at it hammer and tongs.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1928, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, chapter XIV, in Lady Chatterley’s Lover, [Germany?]: Privately printed, →OCLC:",
          "text": "She sort of let things go, didn't get me a proper dinner when I came home from work, and if I said anything, flew out at me. And I flew back, hammer and tongs.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "In a manner indicating seriousness of intent and capability of harm."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "seriousness",
          "seriousness"
        ],
        [
          "intent",
          "intent"
        ],
        [
          "capability",
          "capability"
        ],
        [
          "harm",
          "harm"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) In a manner indicating seriousness of intent and capability of harm."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "not-comparable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-hammer and tongs.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/05/En-au-hammer_and_tongs.ogg/En-au-hammer_and_tongs.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/En-au-hammer_and_tongs.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "hot and heavy"
    },
    {
      "word": "intensely"
    },
    {
      "word": "no holds barred"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "is",
      "english": "go at something hammer and tongs",
      "lang": "Icelandic",
      "sense": "With tools indicating seriousness of intent and capability of harm",
      "word": "ganga í af lífs og sálar kröftum"
    },
    {
      "code": "is",
      "english": "go at something hammer and tongs",
      "lang": "Icelandic",
      "sense": "With tools indicating seriousness of intent and capability of harm",
      "word": "leggja sig allan fram"
    }
  ],
  "word": "hammer and tongs"
}