mailed fist
Americannoun
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superior force, especially military force, when presented as a threat.
The country showed its mailed fist in negotiations.
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brutal or naked power, especially coercive force.
the mailed fist hidden in the velvet glove.
Etymology
Origin of mailed fist
First recorded in 1895–1900
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.