From Programmer Q&A website, I came across the following line, which was a reply/answer to the question Design Patterns: Should I learn them?
:
It depends on how disciplined you are as to whether you will apply the
patterns once learned correctly, and not go nuts like the proverbial
man with a hammer
What does "proverbial man with a hammer" mean in this context? Is it an idiom?
Best Answer
Proverbial means “referred to in a proverb or idiom”. The proverb referred to here is “To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail” (variants include “He that is good with a hammer tends to think everything is a nail”). The overall meaning is you should not get so fond of a given tool (programming language, or pattern) that you use it exclusively, regardless of whether it is fit for the job at hand.