Blitzes

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈblɪtsɪz/

Definitions

1. A series of sudden, intense military attacks often aiming for surprise
2. Rapid bursts of aggressive action or effort in various contexts, such as marketing or sports
3. A concentrated and overwhelming assault intended to achieve a quick victory or effect

Etymology: "Blitzes" is simply the plural of "blitz," so its story is really the story of the singular. English borrowed the idea from German, but the word that came over was never quite the German one. "Blitz" in German means "lightning," and the compound "Blitzkrieg" means "lightning war," a name for fast, sweeping military offensives. English speakers snipped that compound down to its first part, leaving a short, punchy word for a sudden, intense attack. The shift is the surprising part. German "Blitz" does not carry the sense of an assault at all; it describes the flash in the sky. English took the sound and the speed of the word and created a meaning German speakers did not give it, so the term is a kind of pseudo-Germanism, a German-looking word with an English sense. From there it grew beyond the battlefield, and "blitzes" now serves both as a noun for repeated sudden efforts and as a verb form for launching such efforts.

Synonyms: attacks, assaults, strikes, raids, onslaughts