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

please enlighten me about the title

posted 13 years ago by gurvinder62
4 replies | jump to latest

i saw this movie and i liked it.

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

[–] leo_cosmin 13 years ago

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

[–] Mrpinkeye 13 years ago

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

[–] henryfinnegan 11 years ago

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"

[–] ActPurple 8 years ago

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.