the policy of the big stick
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Threats, with some show of warlike attitude to back them up; and the same as "rattling the sword in the scabbard." The phrase was a favourite one with President Theodore Roosevelt.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “the policy of the big stick” mean?
Threats, with some show of warlike attitude to back them up; and the same as "rattling the sword in the scabbard." The phrase was a favourite one with President Theodore Roosevelt.
Is “the policy of the big stick” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.