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Glite Dictionary
jugular point

jugular point

9.9
The weakest part of something that can make it fail when attacked
  • noun
  • /ˈdʒʌɡjələr pɔɪnt/
  • Informal
translation icon : punto vulnerable
  • The investigative reporter targeted the company's jugular point by revealing key emails.

Examples

  • The defense attorney struck the prosecution's jugular point during cross-examination.

  • Their financial stability was the jugular point that competitors tried to exploit.

  • The jugular point is critical.

  • Don't ignore the jugular point!

  • The defense attorney struck the prosecution's jugular point during cross-examination.

  • The investigative reporter targeted the company's jugular point by revealing key emails.

  • Their financial stability was the jugular point that competitors tried to exploit.

Synonyms

weak spot
vsjugular point
24 2.7

A part that others can easily attack or use against someone

focuses on the most crucial vulnerability that allows total defeat or compromise
weak point
vsjugular point
12 3.0

A part of a person or thing that is not strong and can cause problems

points to the most strategically damaging place to attack or compromise
jugular
vsjugular point
  • Informal
11 8.7

The most important part of something that can be easily hurt

is a specific point where something can be most easily attacked or defeated
underbelly
vsjugular point
5 6.6

The weakest part of something that is easy to attack or damage

is the specific point that when struck allows defeat or compromise

Surface Forms

jugular point singular
jugular points plural

Morphology

jugular + point

The noun 'jugular' already encodes the idea of a vital or vulnerable area and 'point' denotes a specific spot, so their combination yields the straightforward meaning 'a crucial or vulnerable spot.' This compositional pattern is predictable (akin to 'vulnerable point' or 'weak point') and would be inferable by a learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

The phrase jugular point comes from the jugular, the large vein in the neck that is very important and easy to hurt, and point meaning 'a spot'. So, calling something the jugular point means it is the most important or most easily hurt spot to attack, a 'crucial or weak spot'.