MovieChat Forums > Butterfly on a Wheel (2007) Discussion > please enlighten me about the title

please enlighten me about the title


i saw this movie and i liked it.

i couldn't understand the title. please enlighten me about the same. thankx.

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It comes from the phrase "to break a butterfly upon a wheel", which means to go through great effort to achieve something minor.

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like driving over a butterfly or picking up a wheel and throwing it at the butterfly!?

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Or like making an elaborate hostage/ticking clock story to prove to your husband you know he's cheating.. When she could of just said " i know you're cheating"

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No. it's referencing a torture technique from the Middle Ages. The Catherine wheel was used on people and it would stretch them out and break their bones. So essentially using that wheel on a butterfly that is much more fragile and would break instantly without the effort.

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