Meaning of shock and awe | Babel Free

Definitions

A doctrine based on the use of spectacular displays of force.

also, figuratively, uncountable

Equivalents

Examples

“To affect⟳ the will of the adversary, Rapid Dominance will apply⟳ a variety of approaches and techniques to achieve⟳ the necessary level of Shock⟳ and Awe at the appropriate strategic and military leverage points. […] Flowing from the primary concentration on affecting the adversary's will to resist⟳ through imposing a regime of Shock⟳ and Awe to achieve⟳ strategic aims and military objectives, four characteristics emerge⟳ that will define⟳ the Rapid Dominance military force⟳.”

“WWE and WCW gussied up the ritual with a lot of shock-and-awe pyrotechnics and the most innovative use⟳ of video graphics this side of MTV. Not so Extreme Championship Wrestling.”

“The shock⟳ and awe that a human being could inspire⟳ navigating a stage⟳ with such effortless yet almost supernatural command (not for nothing did legends Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly congratulate Michael [Jackson] on his dancing) vaulted Jackson and Thriller to a new level of prominence.”

“Photos, film, documentation of the city [Hiroshima, Japan] had been confiscated and censored almost immediately after Japan surrendered, and the only indelible image of the bombing was the power of the bomb itself: the "shock⟳ and awe" version of the mushroom cloud.”

“One expression above all others has become⟳ associated with the invasion of Iraq – "shock⟳ and awe". Developed at the Pentagon in the mid-1990s, "shock⟳ and awe" was a doctrine designed to leave⟳ the enemy so demoralised and disoriented that its will to resist⟳ crumbled. In popular parlance it has come⟳ to mean⟳ the application of overwhelming force⟳, the effective obliteration of the enemy, and for many the term "shock⟳ and awe" has come⟳ to epitomise the crudeness of the American assault on Iraq.”

“In defense of moderation, he proposed simply stomping out religious radicals. (In American terms: shock⟳ and awe, rather than hearts and minds.)”

“[The surveillance capitalists] specialize in displays of instrumentarianism’s unique brand of shock⟳ and awe, leaving onlookers dazed, uncertain, and helpless.”

““This is ‘shock⟳ and awe,’” he said. “Truss, Kwarteng, and the people around them think⟳ they had to act quickly. The longer they wait⟳, the more the resistance will build⟳ up.”.”

“They used the break⟳ well. England emerged sharper for the second half. Abby Dow had already seen a try⟳ wiped off for a forward⟳ pass⟳ by Kildunne, shortly before a shock-and-awe line-out drive⟳, powered by 10 of the team and covering 22m, ended with Cokayne dotting down.”

CEFR level