IdiomAnimals
Thai
Thaiขี่ช้างจับตั๊กแตน
Meaning: To use enormous means for a trivial result.
Literally: To ride an elephant to catch a grasshopper
Example: “จ้างทนายสามคนเพื่อทวงเงินร้อยบาท เหมือนขี่ช้างจับตั๊กแตน” — Hiring three lawyers to recover a hundred baht is using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
English equivalent: To use a sledgehammer to crack a nut
Origin: Riding an elephant, Thailand's mightiest working animal, to catch a grasshopper is using enormous means for a tiny result. The Thai saying is used of overkill and wasted effort. No particular story lies behind it.
Equivalents in other languages
English: use a sledgehammer to crack a nut
More Thai idioms
- น้ำขึ้นให้รีบตัก Seize an opportunity while it lasts.
- ชักแม่น้ำทั้งห้า To give a long-winded, roundabout justification before getting to the point.
- จับปลาสองมือ To chase two goals at once and risk losing both.
- ตำน้ำพริกละลายแม่น้ำ To squander resources for nothing.
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