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Shock and awe

Posted by R. Berg on March 22, 2003

In Reply to: Another: Weapons of Mass... posted by Word Camel on March 22, 2003

: : : : This may be a good time to note when the phrase "Shock and Awe" was first used. It seems that a Pentagon spokesperson must have been the first. It's been in use now for a couple of weeks.

: : : : Now, it's too soon to tell if this phrase will become as popular as the 1991 war's "Mother of All...", as in "Mother of All Used Car Deals", etc. That phrase is still yielding results, as witness the new "M.O.A.B." bomb, which officially stands for "Massive Ordnance Aerial-Burst Bomb".

: : : We're going to have quite a collection of "war words" before this is over.

: : What a knob! ESC - I'll lend you a pound for the 'get a life shop'!

: I've seen "weapons of mass persuasion". Can others be far behind?

In a televised press briefing today, an officer at the Pentagon explained that Shock and Awe doesn't simply mean heavy bombardment, as some people think; it means very precise bombing of designated targets.

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