overkill
das Overkill
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overkill
A disproportionately large use of resources, effort, or force that goes far beyond what is necessary.
Für diese kleine Aufgabe ein ganzes Expertenteam einzusetzen, wäre doch der Overkill.
Assigning a whole team of experts to this small task would really be overkill.
military overkill
Military destructive capacity, especially involving nuclear weapons, that far exceeds what is needed to destroy the enemy.
Schon ein Teil des Arsenals hätte zur Zerstörung des Landes gereicht, der Rest wäre der Overkill gewesen.
Just part of the arsenal would have been enough to destroy the country; the rest would have been military overkill.
| gender | masculine der |
|---|---|
| genitive | des Overkill |
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | das Overkill | – |
| accusative | das Overkill | – |
| dative | dem Overkill | – |
| genitive | des Overkill des Overkills | – |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
'Overkill' (overkill) is a common loanword in colloquial and journalistic German. It is often used for emphasis or with a slightly ironic tone when a situation is considered excessive.
Ein dreistündiger Vortrag über diese einfache Regel ist doch der Overkill.
A three-hour lecture on this simple rule is really overkill.
In the sense of 'übertriebener Aufwand' (excessive effort), 'Overkill' (overkill) is often used in areas such as technology, costs, or organization. Typical collocations include 'technischer Overkill' (technical overkill), 'finanzieller Overkill' (financial overkill), and 'organisatorischer Overkill' (organizational overkill).
Für die kleine Feier wäre diese aufwendige Lichtanlage technischer Overkill.
For the small party, this elaborate lighting system would be technical overkill.
The military sense of destructive capacity beyond what is required can usually be recognized from words such as 'Kernwaffen' (nuclear weapons), 'Arsenal' (arsenal), or 'Wettrüsten' (arms race). Outside military contexts, 'Overkill' (overkill) usually refers to a disproportionately large use of resources.
Angesichts der riesigen Zahl an Waffen sprach man von einem militärischen Overkill.
Given the enormous number of weapons, people spoke of military overkill.
