battering ram

English

Etymology

The heads of some battering rams were carved in the shape of a ram, an animal renowned for butting with its head.

Noun

battering ram (plural battering rams)

  1. (historical) A heavy object used for battering down walls and gates.
  2. A modern device, usually in the form of a metal bar with handles, chiefly used by police and firefighters to force open locked doors.
    Synonym: (UK) enforcer
  3. (figuratively) Something which acts as a powerful tool against something.
    • 1982 December 11, Frances Russell, “Economic performance buoys Pawley’s position”, in The Vancouver Sun (The Weekend Sun), Vancouver, BC, page A6:
      And in the edition of their party newspaper released last week, [the Tories] pledged to Manitobans that they would continue their battering ram approach this time around.
    • 2023 January 6, Peter Wehner, “The GOP Is a Battering Ram Against Truth”, in The Atlantic‎:
      That was expected, I suppose, because during the Trump era, the GOP was a battering ram against truth and reality.

Translations

References
  • The Manual of Heraldry, Fifth Edition, by Anonymous, London, 1862, online at

Further reading
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