coup de main

American  

[koo d^uh man] / ku də ˈmɛ̃ /

noun

French.

• coups de main
  plural

1. a surprise attack; a sudden development.

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coup de main British  

/ ku də mɛ̃ /

noun

1. military an attack that achieves complete surprise

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• coups de main
  plural

Etymology

Origin of coup de main

Literally, “blow from the hand”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

coup de main

In the ring, Pacquiao, an avatar of speed and power combined into unremitting attack, exemplifies the Napoleonic principle of coup de main, the bold, decisive strike.

From New York Times ● May 1, 2015

Now Robuchon has opened his first overtly Japanese restaurant, at the Hotel Metropole in Monte Carlo, and it's exactly the chic coup de main his fans would expect.

From Time Magazine Archive

Said Army Major General Stanley McChrystal, a top Pentagon operations officer: "We are not expecting to drive into Baghdad suddenly and seize it in a coup de main."

From Time Magazine Archive

Doffen, then, ought to have realised that the moment was not opportune for a coup de main.

From Dry Fish and Wet Tales from a Norwegian Seaport by Anthon Bernhard Elias Nilsen

This fortress, commanding a railway-line of importance to the further progress of the German Army, was reported to be but feebly held, and it was resolved to attempt its capture by a coup de main.

From The Franco-German War of 1870-71 by Count Helmuth