A golden hammer is any tool, technology, paradigm, snake oil, buzzword or similar whose proponents enthusiastically sing its praises. They predict that it will solve multiple problems, including some for which it is obviously not suitable. Likewise, a literal golden hammer looks highly impressive but is practically useless, as gold is a relatively soft and heavy metal. A modern hammer is directly descended from ancient hand tools A tool or device is a piece of equipment that most commonly provides a mechanical advantage in accomplishing a physical task. ... By the mid 20th century humans had achieved a level of technological mastery sufficient to leave the surface of the planet for the first time and explore space. ... Since the late 1960s, the word paradigm (IPA: ) has referred to a thought pattern in any scientific discipline or other epistemological context. ... For snake oil in cryptography, see Snake oil (cryptography) Clark Stanleys Snake Oil Liniment. ... A buzzword (also known as a fashion word or vogue word) is an idiom, often a neologism, commonly used in managerial, technical, administrative, and sometimes political environments. ... General Name, Symbol, Number gold, Au, 79 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 6, d Appearance metallic yellow Atomic mass 196. ...

The phrase "When the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail" is similar to the concept of a golden hammer; once you have a tool that works for one task, you want to use it for everything just because it's available.

The antonym term for golden hammer is "using the right tool for the job." Look up Antonym in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

See also

• Greedy reductionism
• Proselyte
• Silver bullet
• Panacea
• Glossyware