big stick

Từ điển Oxford Advanced Learner 8th

▪ I. big stick [big stick] BrE NAmE noun [sing]
the use of military or political power to influence or threaten other countries. The phrase was made popular by President Theodore Roosevelt, who said that the US government should ‘speak softly and carry a big stick’.
 
▪ II. the big ˈstick idiom
(informal)the use or threat of force or power
•The authorities used quiet persuasion instead of the big stick.
Main entry: ↑big_idiom