mailed fist

noun

superior force, especially military force, when presented as a threat: The country showed its mailed fist in negotiations.
brutal or naked power, especially coercive force: the mailed fist hidden in the velvet glove.

Origin of mailed fist

First recorded in 1895–1900

To the north of Australia's slice of this wonderland the Kaiser was squeezing a hunk of the same island in his mailed fist.
"Over There" with the Australians | R. Hugh Knyvett
Again the mailed fist struck the panel; an echo alone replied.
The Princess Virginia | C. N. Williamson
As soon as one leaves the hut the cold smites one in the face like a mailed fist.
Ten Thousand Miles with a Dog Sled | Hudson Stuck
To a brilliant living monarch we owe the phrase "mailed fist," a translation of Ger.
The Romance of Words (4th ed.) | Ernest Weekley
But she would not have it so, and she chose to follow the principle of relying on the "mailed fist."
Before the War | Viscount Richard Burton Haldane

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