[[quoteright:185:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/clarksonhammer_7186.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:185:[[TopGear Jeremy Clarkson]] illustrates the point.]]

->''"Of course you should fight fire with fire. You should fight '''everything''' with fire."''
-->-- '''[[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=45358 Sizzle's]]''' FlavorText, ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering''

WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer [[XMeetsY meets]] RunningGag.

Some people, when facing a problem, any problem, will suggest X, without even trying to consider some of the other, probably better, and usually more rational solutions. Why? Maybe they [[FreudianExcuse had a difficult past]], maybe they were [[TrainingFromHell trained that way]], or maybe they just [[TheDitz can't think of anything else]]. The fact is, they have one and only one answer for everything, and it's not like it usually works.

This is a SuperTrope of SpotOfTea, KillItWithFire, MurderIsTheBestSolution, DuctTapeForEverything, MoreDakka, NukeEm, YourAnswerToEverything and others. If examples fit better on one of those pages, please list it there rather than here. Sometimes used in conjunction with PercussiveMaintenance.
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!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* The title character in ''AsuNoYoichi'', when facing a problem that can't be solved with a SwordFight, will resort to seppuku. Since the story needs a hero, [[InterruptedSuicide he never succeeds]].
* ''[[OnePiece Zoro]]'' has a troubling habit of suggesting cutting off body parts as the solution to a number of problems. Sometimes, this is a case of a LifeOrLimbDecision, but he is also inclined to suggest this before it becomes a matter of life or death. Including one time when Luffy's finger was stuck in a bottle, and another time when he was handcuffed to Usopp.
* [[Anime/CowboyBebop Spike]] isn't the most technical-minded of hotshot bounty hunters. If something mechanical is broken, he'll kick it until it works. Even if it's a hundred-year-old Betamax player that may or may not be the last functional one in existence. With someone over his shoulder YELLING AT HIM TO STOP.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film]]
* In ''Film/MyBigFatGreekWedding'', the main character's father's response to any ailment is to put some Windex on it. At the end, we find out that the groom was inspired by his father-in-law to treat some acne with Windex. ''It worked''. The groom may have simply been making a joke, too.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* In ''Discworld/TheLastContinent'', Rincewind notes the Ecksian term "no worries" can fix just about any problem.
-->It was an amazing phrase. It was practically magical all by itself. It just ...made things better. A shark's got your leg? No worries. You've been stung by a jellyfish? No worries! You're dead? She'll be right! No worries!
* In ''DaveBarry Slept Here'', President Truman's first idea for dealing with Stalin's blockade of West Berlin is dropping an atom bomb on Japan.
* ''Literature/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'' has towels. They're good for just about everything (and their diverse uses are really ramped up in ''Literature/MostlyHarmless'').
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* You may be assured that whenever a ''TopGear'' episode has a car with some mechanical work to be done, Jeremy Clarkson will be reaching for his hammer and if he's gardening, it becomes the handy, all-solving shotgun.
* ''WhoseLineIsItAnyway'' has [[CrowningMomentOfFunny The All-Solving]] ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z86EGt3GuPw&playnext=1&list=PLC3EA36CCB0890C70&index=16 Cat]]''.
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', in an alternate reality episode.
-->'''Buffy:''' Why don't I just put a stake through her heart?\\
'''Giles:''' She's not a vampire.\\
'''Buffy:''' Yeah, well, you'd be surprised how many things that'll kill.
* On ''TheRedGreenShow'', while Red himself relied on duct tape to deal with any situation, Edgar Montrose inevitably tried explosives.
* ''Series/MythBusters'': Grant Imahara often suggests building a robot for a myth. Usually it's viable, but sometimes the suggestion is clearly there as a gag.
** All of the Mythbusters have a fondness for StuffBlowingUp, and often suggest using explosives to deal with a given myth. [[RuleOfCool They usually go through with it, too.]]
* For ''Series/BurnNotice'''s Fiona, the only problems that can't be solved with C4 are the ones that require shooting someone. Even those probably ''could'' be solved with C4, it just wouldn't be cost-effective.
* In the second instalment of ''Characters/HoratioHornblower'' mini-series, Dr Clive's prescription to everything is a good dosage of laudanum. Captain is mentally unstable and harasses the crew? Laudanum! A midshipman was beaten to unconsciousness and his arse hurts like hell? Laudanum! Captain is utterly crazy and threatens the ship's mission? Laudanum! A cannonball tore off a sailor's leg? Lauda... Oh, wait, sometimes he ''does'' do surgeries as well. Interestingly, in all those cases laudanum might actually be useful since it is an analgesiac and has sedative properties. Given the state of medical science back then, laudanum (alcohol laced with opium) was considered a "miracle drug". A large enough dose and you *will* feel better.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* Yozis in ''{{Exalted}}'' tend to pull this. At any strategy meeting, the Ebon Dragon will suggest a sneaky course of action and Malfeas will recommend [[MurderIsTheBestSolution killing or breaking something]].
* Players in general. Whatever the nature of the problem, many of them will try to use whatever their character is good at to solve it. Often, this means MurderIsTheBestSolution.
* {{Warhammer 40K}} has this in many ways. Asides from the obvious bent of the Imperium using holy-techno hammers to smite the enemies of man, they are a theocracy so ultra orthodox it allowed next to no inovation in the last 10,000 years. They've basically been using the same tactics (and sometimes gear) for that long.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* In ''MassEffect'', [[HeroicComedicSociopath Wrex's]] first suggestion for solving any conflict or situation: "Eat them." In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' a quarian admiral fighting against a fellow admiral who's itching for war can say "Once you build the galaxy's biggest hammer, someone will always start looking for nails."
** Another one out of BioWare ''KnightsOfTheOldRepublic's'' HK-47 will usually suggest firearms or grenades.
*** HK, Wrex, ''BaldursGate's'' Minsc, and ''JadeEmpire's'' Black Whirlwind -- don't let 'em near anything breakable...
* In ''VideoGame/{{Overlord}}'', you can count problems that ''can't'' be solved with minions in one hand. Pretty much everything is fixed trough creative use of minions or just swarming the problem with the minions until it goes away.
* In ''VideoGame/TheSims'', pretty much any broken thing in your house can be fixed with a wrench.
* In the ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'' community, it is commonly agreed upon that [[KillItWithFire magma]] can solve any problem. Invaders at your door? [[LavaPit Magma]]. Troublesome [[UpperClassTwit nobles]]? [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential Magma]]. !!Dwarf!! ''on [[ManOnFire fire]]''? [[MurderIsTheBestSolution Not for long]] if you use enough magma.
* In ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'': Got a problem? Use a gun. That didn't fix it? Use [[MoreDakka more gun]].
** And how do you build and fix guns, dispensers, enemies or just about anything else? With a wrench.
*** Played straight with the Pyro and his [[http://wiki.teamfortress.com/wiki/Homewrecker weapon of choice]] for enemy buildings (and the occasional enemy Spy).
* Link's sword in ''[[TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening Link's Awakening]]'', and the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames Oracle games]]. Aside from using it as a weapon or hedge trimmer, its uses include: deflecting a ball into breakable blocks in a minigame in Ages (even the Biggoron sword is used for this), poking at walls to figure out if they're hollow, grabbing items from a distance, hitting switches, harvesting seeds from trees, and of course, posing.
* In ''StarWarsTheOldRepublic'' during the Sith Inquisitor's storyline there is no problem that cannot be solved with a good dose of force lightning. Angry Jedi? Shock him. Interrogation subject? Shock him. Uppity party members? Shock them. Sith artefact refusing to open? [[RunningGag Shock it]].
* ''VideoGame/{{inFAMOUS}}'' is pretty much the same, with all of your powers being lightning based. In a fight, shoot lightning. If you're hurt, eat lightning. Need to get somewhere? Ride lightning. Need to heal someone else? Use lightning. [[spoiler: Need to change history to prevent the end of the world? LIGHTNING.]] Essentially, LightningCanDoAnything.
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[[folder:Web Comics]]
* ''WebComic/EightBitTheater'': The Light Warriors' (''especially'' Black Mage) approach to ''anything'': try to kill everything in sight. Including each other. If they don't do the first, then they stand around arguing until their enemies' stupidity makes them self-destruct. It's usually one or the other.
** And Red Mage will usually try to solve a problem with animal husbandry.
** Fighter is probably the closest of the cast to fitting the exact wording of this trope, his solution to all problems is to [[ILikeSwords hit anything and everything with swords]] until whatever it is goes away.
* ''DarthsAndDroids'': "I cast SummonBiggerFish", although even though Jim keeps mentioning it, it never really gets used - aside from the small bonus comic that was done once.
* Vaarsuvius from ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' has been known to engage in this line of thinking regarding his/her arcane powers. He/she even had to go through some major angst and character development to get over it (debatably crossing the MoralEventHorizon in the process), but still struggles with it sometimes like in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0696.html this]] strip.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* In ''AHDotComTheSeries'', Thande will always suggest "Daring Commando Raid([[TradeSnark TM]])?" as a plan to solve any crisis the crew find themselves in; this is almost invariably treated by the others as though it is a complex and tailor-made plan for the specific situation, and always works.
* [[http://www.computerandvideogames.com/198344/blog/galactic-civilizations-diary-final-entry/ This]] LetsPlay-style article on ''GalacticCivilizations II''...well...
-->God, look at me. This was supposed to be my quest for peace, and I've become addicted to ''destroying suns''. How did I try to mend relations with the Terrans? I blew up a sun. How did I vanquish the Dread Lords? I destroyed their sun. How did I tackle the volatile Drengin? Destroyed all their suns. Drath relations dodgy? Gear up to destroy some suns. [[TheTetrisEffect It was spreading to real life, too]]. Deputy Editor Tim called just now to ask how this diary was coming along, and all I could say was "It's taking a while. Couldn't we just destroy the sun?"
* ''WebVideo/{{Kickassia}}'' shows Doctor Smith exhibiting this, even though "Nobody likes the plan with the spiders."
** Hell, just about any Website/ThatGuyWithTheGlasses sketch Dr. Smith appears in involves him suggesting an army of spiders for ''something''.
* An inversion: Essentially any time the Wiki/SCPFoundation finds anything at all, ''someone'' will suggest using it to try to kill [[OmnicidalManiac SCP]]-[[NighInvulnerable 682]]. And if it's actually deadly, they really will try it on 682.
* In {{SFDebris}}' imaginings, [[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Ben Sisko]] solves all problems by punching them, even when said problems can't really be solved that way.
** In keeping with his AlternateCharacterInterpretation of the characters, we see this played out during confabs between Sisko and the other ''Trek'' captains: Picard gives technobabble solutions, Kirk suggests giving a KirkSummation followed by hitting someone, Janeway votes to kill everything in sight, and a paranoid Archer rants that Vulcans are to blame somehow.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill''
** When Kahn and family moved in, after they came over for dinner Minh suggested some improvements to Peggy's recipies, all of which were "add nutmeg."
** In another episode, Hank gets his old football coach to coach Bobby's team. His solution for anything is "take a salt tablet".
* On ''BobbysWorld'', Uncle Ted was coaching Bobby's T-Ball team; one of them got hit with a ball and Ted said "Walk it off." This leads to an ImagineSpot where Bobby imagines Uncle Ted confronted with various other medical conditions:
-->Broken leg? Walk it off.\\
Heart attack? Walk it off.\\
Pregnant? Walk it off.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' episode "My Future Self 'n' Me," Cartman runs a Parental Revenge Center and claims to come up with plans tailored to each child's parents, but all his plans just involve smearing poop on the walls of their house. The "tailoring" is what ''kind'' of poop is used.
* In a later episode of ''TheSimpsons''
--> '''Betsy:''' It's all about little substitutions. If you want to eat something, eat a bell pepper. Crave something sweet? Eat a bell pepper. Want a beer? Bell pepper.\\
'''Homer:''' It tastes good like pepper, but crunchy like a bell!\\
'''Betsy:''' Bell pepper!
** Another episode has the new gym teacher respond to anything with a dodgeball to the face. "Bombardment!"
* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' features a cleaning lady at the White House who prescribes club soda for cleaning up anything. She tries it on an indestructable forcefield and it works.
* This is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] in ''FanFic/AvatarTheAbridgedSeries'' Episode 4.
--> '''Katara:''' Have this magical plot-solving acorn. It has the power to resolve the plot of [[BreakingTheFourthWall any episode]].
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', the Neptunian master chef Elzar augments every dish he touches with a blast from a spice weasel. BAM!
* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' Pinkie Pie's solution to a given situation seems to involve either throwing a party or bursting into song. Sometimes she does both.
** Fluttershy's solution to anything, lampshaded in dialogue, is to panic.
* ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' ''Invasion'' The Scarabs default reaction to every problem is to blast it with the plasma cannon, to which its host Jaime objects.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Real Life ]]
* There's an Irish saying along these lines;
** "Advice for Builders.
## Always use the right tool for the job.
## The right tool for the job is always a Hammer.
## Anything can be used as a Hammer."
* The advice "If you can't fix it by hitting it with a hammer then it must be an electrical problem." And the corollary, "If hitting it with a hammer doesn't work, hit it with a bigger hammer."
* A true handyman only needs two tools: Duct tape for things that move when they shouldn't and WD-40 for things that don't move when they should.
* There is a theory popular with Aberdeen University Engineers: There is no problem anywhere that cannot be solved through creative application of: Duct tape, WD-40, ice-cream, and a brick.
* Engineering Solution 1: Hit it with a hammer. Solution 2: Hit it with a bigger hammer.
* Millwright joke: What does a millwright call his hammer? Wrench. What does a millwright call all the other tools in the box? Hammers.
* Damage Controlmen (essentially plumbers/general repairmen) in the US Navy and Coast Guard have a nickname for a mallet: The make-fit. Guess why. Also a wrench is referred to as a "Bosun's Hammer"
* FromACertainPointOfView, when in the proper quantity and with the proper application, PlayingWithFire fixes everything. Need to cook some eggs? Use fire to heat them. al-Qaeda attacking? KillItWithFire. Nothing cannot be solved by it!
* In the same sense, a recurring joke in some fan circles states that all problems can be solved with sufficient application of [[DoctorWho Dalek.]]
* A common English slang term for a hammer? "[[TheMidlands Birmingham]] Screwdriver".
* A much quoted apocryphal military saying- "There is no problem that cannot be solved by the proper application of high explosives".
[[/folder]]
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