Dictionary:
o·ver·kill (ō'vər-kĭl')  |
| 5min Related Video: overkill |
| Marketing Dictionary: overkill |
In general: expensive promotional effort that produces diminishing returns because it repels rather than attracts consumer interest.
Direct marketing: records on a list incorrectly identified as dupli- cates by a computer program that doesn't accurately reflect the objec- tives of the list owner. For example, the program may be written to combine all records for the same household or business even though the list owner would like to send promotions to each individual.
| Business Dictionary: Overkill |
Expensive promotional effort that produces diminishing returns because it repels rather than attracts consumer interest.
| Wikipedia: Overkill |
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2009) |
Overkill is the use of police brutality or action that goes further than is necessary to achieve its goal.
Contents |
Overkill is especially used to refer to a destructive nuclear capacity exceeding the amount needed to destroy an enemy[1].
The term is attested from 1945[2] and was in common use during the Cold War era, referring to the arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union. Both nations possessed (US and Russia still possess) more than enough nuclear weapons to destroy one another many times over — nuclear overkill.
US policy was to be able to drop a nuclear bomb on every Soviet town and city forty times over; the term was called "pounding the rubble" or, as military officers sometimes joked, "pounding the ruble".
In criminal profiling, the term "overkill" refers to the wounds or mutilations inflicted by offenders (especially serial killers), which go beyond what is necessary to kill the victim. Such wounds are often inflicted post mortem. This often occurs when the attacker is completely out of control i.e. a blind rage or the proverbial red mist. Alternatively, the deed may be done calmly in order to satisfy the control/possession fantasies of the assailant. A classic example would be a frenzied stabbing where the victim has suffered a very high count of abdominal wounds.
In a critical sense, overkill might be considered a close relative of overacting and overdramatizing. For example, in most modern horror films, such as Friday the 13th, most of the killing is quickly clichéd, and is always overkill.
Overkill is a common feature in many video games. In some games, such as Final Fantasy X, "overkill" is made part of the battle system; finishing off an enemy with a very high-damage attack may give bonus rewards after battle. In first-person shooters, overkilling a character will often result in gibbing that character.
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
| Translations: Overkill |
Dansk (Danish)
n. - urimelig overdrivelse, overmål, en større ødelæggelseskraft end hvad der er nødvendig
v. tr. - overdrive urimeligt
Nederlands (Dutch)
overmaat (m.n. van wreedheid), overkill, meer doden/vernietigen dan nodig
Français (French)
n. - (Mil) capacité de surextermination, (fig) matraquage
v. tr. - détruire (l'ennemi) en utilisant un surarmement nucléaire
Deutsch (German)
n. - (Mil.) Overkill, übertriebene Maßnahme
v. - mit unnötiger Härte vorgehen
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (στρατ.) υπερβολική δυνατότητα εξοντώσεως από πυρηνικό όπλο, (μτφ.) υπερβολή, υπερβολικός ζήλος
v. - σκοτώνω περισσότερους από ό, τι χρειάζεται
Italiano (Italian)
eccesso, reazione esagerata, uso di mezzi oltre il necessario
Português (Portuguese)
n. - exagero (m)
v. - exagerar
Русский (Russian)
многократное уничтожение, перевыполнение
Español (Spanish)
n. - capacidad de destrucción superior a la de las fuerzas enemigas
v. tr. - aniquilar por completo
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - (mil)överdödningsförmåga, fördärv, undergång
v. - bruka mer våld än nöden kräver
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
过度的杀伤威力, 过度地杀伤
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 過度的殺傷威力
v. tr. - 過度地殺傷
한국어 (Korean)
n. - 과잉 살상력, 지나친 경제정책
v. tr. - 과잉살육 하다
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) تدمير (فعل) يسرف في القتل او التدمير
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - המידה בה יכולת ההשמדה עולה על הנחוץ לניצחון או להשמדה, הפרזה (בשימוש בכח)
v. tr. - הרס או הרג יותר מהנחוץ
If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.
To select your translation preferences click here.
 | overkill |
| Metal Massacre, Vols. 2 & 3 (1991 Album by Various Artists) |
| Overkill: Videoscope (1991 Music Film) |
 | What is an overkill on halo 3? Read answer... |
| Did modern warfare 2 get rid of overkill? Read answer... |
| What is the name of the song that Urge Overkill covered in the movie Pulp Fiction? Read answer... |
 | Is the the house of the dead overkill bad? |
| Where can you get the house of the dead overkill demo? |
| Who covered the song overkill by men at work in the 90s? |
Copyrights:
 |
 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Marketing Dictionary. Dictionary of Marketing Terms. Copyright © 2000 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
|
| Business Dictionary. Dictionary of Business Terms. Copyright © 2000 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Overkill". Read more |
 |
| Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved. Read more |
Mentioned in
