SLEDGEHAMMER

[noun] [C] - a large heavy hammer with a long handle, used for breaking stones or other heavy material, or for hitting posts into the ground, etc.(figurative) He tends to tackle problems with a sledgehammer (= not act carefully or considering other people).(figurative) They accused him of sledgehammer tactics.If you use a sledgehammer to crack a nut you use much more force than is needed.Fifty police officers to arrest two unarmed men is surely a case of using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.