See Also: sledgehammer(dictionary)
sledgehammer(dictionary)
Sledgehammer - Motor Sports(gambling)

subtle (iou) and sledgehammer (iou)


subtle (iou)



subtle adjective. Also (long arch.) subtile. ME.
[Old French sutil, so(u)til from Latin subtilis. See also SUTTLE adjective.]
Not easily grasped, understood, or perceived; now esp., so delicate or precise as to elude observation or analysis. Formerly also, intricate, abstruse. ME.
A. Bain Many inconsistencies are too subtle for the detection of an ordinary mind. P. Gallico A change had gradually taken place in Hannah..subtle but unmistakable. J. Herbert She smiled..that subtle mocking in her eyes.
b. Working secretly, taking effect imperceptibly; insidious. E17.
A. G. Gardiner Tobacco, that subtle narcotic that gives the illusion of the flight of time.
(Of a person) skilful, expert, dexterous; (of a thing) ingenious, cleverly designed, skilfully contrived. arch. ME.
D. Morris It takes a subtle, sensitised hand to feel for Food in the water.
Penetrating, perceptive, acute; capable of making fine distinctions. ME.
Ld Macaulay Subtle speculations touching the Divine attributes.
Crafty, cunning; insidiously sly, deceitful. Long rare or obsolete. ME.
b. Of ground: tricky. E-M17.
Shakespeare Coriolanus Like to a bowl upon a subtle ground, I have tumbled past the throw.
Of thin consistency, not dense, rarefied; (of a smell, colour, etc.) pervasive or elusive by reason of tenuity, faint, delicate. LME.
b. Of fine or delicate texture or composition. arch. LME.
Not thick or broad; thin, slender. Long rare or obsolete. LME.
Consisting of fine particles, finely powdered; (of particles) fine, minute. LME-L18.
subtleness noun LME.
subtlist noun (rare) a person who uses subtlety M19.

sledgehammer (iou)



sledgehammer noun, adjective, & verb. L15.
[from SLEDGE noun1 + HAMMER noun.]
A. noun. A large heavy hammer used for breaking rocks, forging iron, etc. L15.
take a sledgehammer to crack a nut, use a sledgehammer to crack a nut use disproportionately drastic measures to deal with a simple problem.
b. adjective. Resembling a sledgehammer; (of a blow) heavy and powerful; (of wit etc.) ponderous, heavy-handed. M19.
New Yorker Broadway comedy, with its..sledgehammer laugh lines.
C. verb trans. Strike or work at (as) with a sledgehammer. M19.