[let] sleeping dogs lie
1
to ignore a situation, topic, issue, etc. so as not to cause troubles or difficulties
The idiom "use a sledgehammer to crack a nut" has its roots in the world of construction tools. It describes a situation where someone employs a sledgehammer, a heavy and powerful tool, to perform a task that could be accomplished with a much lighter and simpler tool, like a small hammer. This idiom is used figuratively to criticize actions that are excessively forceful, extravagant, or complicated for a relatively simple problem or task.
- How about letting sleeping dogs lie huh?The situation is already out of hand as it is.
- I thought about bringing up my concerns but decided instead to let sleeping dogs lie.
- Hiring an expensive lawyer for a minor traffic violation is like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
- Planning a grand, expensive wedding for an intimate gathering is akin to using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
- Bringing in a software engineer to fix a small glitch in your computer is using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.