carpet-raid
Definition
Noun (military, US usage): A "carpet-raid" is a type of aerial bombing attack in which explosives are dropped over a wide area in a pattern resembling a carpet covering the target zone, intended to cause widespread destruction.
Usage Examples
- (A widespread bombing attack that covered a large area.)
- (A bombing mission designed to saturate a large target with explosives.)
Advanced Usage
"to conduct a carpet-raid": to carry out such a bombing operation.
- The air force conducted a carpet-raid on the supply lines. (They executed a broad-area bombing attack.)
"carpet-raid tactics": strategic methods involving widespread bombing.
- Carpet-raid tactics were controversial due to high civilian casualties. (Methods that use area saturation bombing.)
Variants and Related Words
Carpet-bombing (n): a synonym for "carpet-raid", often used more commonly in modern contexts.
- Carpet-bombing was employed to destroy fortified positions. (Area saturation bombing.)
Raid (n): a sudden, swift attack, often by military forces.
- The night raid caught the defenders by surprise. (A quick, targeted assault.)
Synonyms
- Area bombing: bombing that covers a large geographical area rather than a specific point.
- Saturation bombing: bombing designed to overwhelm defenses by sheer volume of explosives.
Related Idioms
- "to carpet-bomb": metaphorically, to overwhelm with something in large quantity.
- The company carpet-bombed the market with advertisements. (They flooded the market with ads.)