“This reminded me of a meeting at SNDT Women’s University in Mumbai over 30 years ago when young feminist students went hammer and tongs at the senior sociologist M N Srinivas.”
The idiom “went hammer and tongs” means to do something with tremendous energy, vigor, or fierce determination. It is commonly used to describe aggressive physical effort or a loud, heated argument.
The phrase traces its roots back to the 17th century, drawing an analogy directly from blacksmithing. A blacksmith repeatedly beats red-hot metal on an anvil with a heavy hammer while using tongs to grip it securely, an intense process requiring maximum physical strength and noise.
Here is how you can use the phrase in different contexts:
- Fierce Argument: “The two politicians went at it hammer and tongs during the live debate.”
- Hard Work: “She was working hammer and tongs all morning to finish the project.”