surgical strike
7
5.2
- noun
- /ˈsɜrdʒɪkəl straɪk/
:
golpe quirúrgico
- According to the Israeli Defense Ministry, it eliminated 90 percent of Hamas' military capability, as they delivered surgical strikes aimed only at terrorists.
- surgical strike on the missile
- surgical strike against Iran
- make a surgical strike
So they had no operational fires, they had no surgical strike, They had no medevac, you know, air medevac.
- So they had no operational fires, they had no surgical strike, They had no medevac, you know, air medevac.
Examples
-
The military conducted a surgical strike to eliminate the enemy leader with minimal collateral damage.
-
So far, Israel has conducted surgical strikes, hitting only military targets.
Blog text (2) -
Even a "surgical strike" strategy like that used on Baghdad would not accomplish much.
Academic text (1993) -
Israel always brags about their "surgical" strikes—supposedly only hitting targets of military value.
Blog text (21) -
Faced with that decision, the United States should conduct a surgical strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, absorb an inevitable round of retaliation, and then seek to quickly de-escalate the crisis.
Academic text (2012) -
After careful planning, the general authorized a surgical strike targeting the enemy's weapons depot.
-
In response to the threat, the government decided to launch a timed surgical strike on their missile facilities.
Synonyms
348
7.0
A military attack to destroy a specific target
How Precise
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase combines 'surgical' (performed with the accuracy of surgical techniques) with 'strike' (an attack), so its meaning as a precise, targeted attack limiting collateral damage is directly derivable from the constituents. The metaphorical use of 'surgical' to mean 'highly precise' is common across languages and follows a straightforward modifier+noun pattern, making it accessible to a B1 learner who knows both words.
Etymology
Surgical strike comes from the work of doctors: surgical means a very precise operation and strike means a hit. That image of a careful, exact action explains why a 'surgical strike' means a military attack on one specific target with little damage to the area around it.