the.com/big stick

means A big stick is the credible threat of force kept quietly in reserve to make your words carry more weight.

from The phrase comes from an African proverb Theodore Roosevelt liked to quote — 'speak softly and carry a big stick, you will go far' — and he made it famous in 1901 describing his approach to foreign policy. 'Big stick diplomacy' became the label for his style: polite talk backed by the U.S. Navy as the unspoken club behind it.