After losing her job, her home, and her family, she became a butterfly upon a wheel, a fragile soul crushed by life's merciless trials.

The critics accused the committee of using butterflies upon a wheel to punish minor mistakes, turning small oversights into public spectacles.

Don't break a butterfly upon a wheel when a simple apology will do.

The prosecutor seemed determined to break a butterfly upon the wheel by seeking the maximum sentence for a minor infraction.

Many readers condemned the editor for breaking a butterfly upon the wheel by firing the intern over a single typo.

The historian argued that in condemning the minor scandal, the court broke a butterfly upon the wheel.

By insisting on a public trial, the board had broken a butterfly upon the wheel, ruining his reputation for a single missed deadline.

The judge, eager to make an example, breaks a butterfly upon the wheel by imposing a draconian sentence for a minor infraction.