break a butterfly on a wheel

To use excessive force to accomplish something that can be done with far less.

Break a butterfly on a wheel: Sending a SWAT team to deal with a fifteen year old kid disturbing the peace by having his music turned up too loud.

The original phrase "Who breaks a butterfly upon a wheel?" was a line from the poem "Epistle to Dr Arbuthnot”, which referenced an ancient torture method known as the “breaking wheel” or “Catherine wheel”.

break a butterfly on a wheel by |SaltyJack| August 31, 2019

break biche 

verb - "to break biche"
Caribbean saying originating in Trinidad meaning to miss attendance at school, deliberately and without legitimate excuse.
Also often used to describe missing work without a valid excuse.
North American equivalent would be "playing hookie"

Hey, let's break biche today and go to the mall!

break biche by Subberz86 June 7, 2011

break your back 

When someone is really good at sex and leaves you sore the next day

I can break your back girl

break your back by ommnigga November 22, 2015

break my crayons 

causing someone grief for an unjustified reason

Should someone stand in front of the TV during the final moments of a big game would be an obvious attempt to break your crayons.

"Dude, why do you have to break my crayons all the time?"

break my crayons by Paul Kemp July 12, 2007

Break a leg 

Slang for good luck.

Person 1: Break a leg!
Person 2: Thanks I needed that.

Break a leg by Rachmahler June 29, 2022

Break Barnum 

When you have a normal life with a loving husband and two kids, but you decide to exchange it in your early middle age for a traveling circus life of failed business ventures, and monthly domestic violence incidents with the local white trash king who has sired half the illegitimate children in town, including your own new baby daughter.

My wife and I had a pretty good life, until she decided to Break Barnum, and live with the local man whore in a shithole apartment above his rat infested restaurant.

Break Barnum by arnie123 January 4, 2019

Break bread 

A. To engage in a comfortable, friendly interaction. Originally, the term was literal, meaning that a loaf of bread would be broken to share and eat; a casual meal among associates.

B. The term later came to be more figurative, but referred to the same situation: a shared meal. Used as a colloquialism to describe any meal that did or did not involve bread.

C.Today, the term is used to describe a social interaction where something is shared. This could be food, money, commodities, assets, or other various items.

To break bread is to affirm trust, confidence, and comfort with an individual or group of people. Breaking bread has a notation of friendliness and informality, derived from the original meaning regarding sharing the loaf.

A. We all came to my home to break bread and share stories.
B. Are you coming to break bread with us? We're going to that new steakhouse that just opened up.
C. Hand me one of those cigarettes. Break bread with your old pal, would ya?

Break bread by FirstMan January 27, 2010