use a sledgehammer to crack a nut

Etymology
The analogy dates back to at least the middle of the 19th century: see, for example, this quotation from Levi Carroll Judson’s work Sages and Heroes of the American Revolution (1851): “He at once became the nucleus around which a band of patriots gathered and formed a nut too hard to be cracked by the sledgehammer of monarchy.”

Verb

 * 1)  To use disproportionate or significantly excessive force to carry out an action; to do something overzealously.

Translations

 * Chinese:
 * Mandarin: 高射炮打蚊子, ,
 * Czech: jít s kanónem na vrabce
 * Danish: skyde spurve med kanoner
 * Dutch: met een kanon op een mug schieten
 * Finnish: ampua tykillä kärpästä
 * French: ,
 * German:
 * Italian: sparare agli uccellini col cannone
 * Kannada: ಗುಬ್ಬಿ ಮೇಲೆ ಬ್ರಹ್ಮಾಸ್ತ್ರ
 * Macedonian:
 * Norwegian:
 * Bokmål:
 * Nynorsk: skyte sporv med kanonar
 * Polish: strzelać z armaty do muchy
 * Russian:
 * Spanish: matar moscas a cañonazos
 * Swedish: skjuta sparvar med kanoner
 * Telugu: పిచ్చుక మీద బ్రహ్మాస్త్రము
 * Thai:
 * Welsh: cymryd gordd i dorri cneuen, to llosgi'r gwely i ladd y chwannen