mailed fist: Meaning and Definition of

mailed' fist'

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. superior force, esp. military force, when presented as a threat: The country showed its mailed fist in negotiations.
  2. brutal or naked power, esp. coercive force: the mailed fist hidden in the velvet glove.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.