butterfly

break a butterfly on a wheel use unnecessary force in destroying something fragile or insignificant.

☞ In former times, breaking someone upon the wheel was a form of punishment or torture which involved fastening criminals to a wheel so that their bones would be broken or dislocated.

2002Times There were plenty of implausibilities in Ella and the Mothers, if you stopped and thought about it too much, but that would be to break a butterfly upon a wheel.

the butterfly effect the phenomenon whereby a minute localized change in a complex system can have large effects elsewhere.

☞ The expression comes from chaos theory. In 1979, Edward N. Lorenz gave a paper to the American Association for the Advancement of Science entitled 'Does the flap of a butterfly's wings in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas?'

have butterflies in your stomach have a queasy feeling because you are nervous. informal

词组	butterfly
释义	butterfly break a butterfly on a wheel use unnecessary force in destroying something fragile or insignificant. ☞ In former times, breaking someone upon the wheel was a form of punishment or torture which involved fastening criminals to a wheel so that their bones would be broken or dislocated. 2002Times There were plenty of implausibilities in Ella and the Mothers, if you stopped and thought about it too much, but that would be to break a butterfly upon a wheel. the butterfly effect the phenomenon whereby a minute localized change in a complex system can have large effects elsewhere. ☞ The expression comes from chaos theory. In 1979, Edward N. Lorenz gave a paper to the American Association for the Advancement of Science entitled 'Does the flap of a butterfly's wings in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas?' have butterflies in your stomach have a queasy feeling because you are nervous. informal
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