Definition of Coup de main

1. Noun. An attack without warning.

Exact synonyms: Surprise Attack
Generic synonyms: Attack, Onrush, Onset, Onslaught
Specialized synonyms: Terrorist Attack, Ambuscade, Ambush, Lying In Wait, Trap, Pre-emptive Strike

Lexicographical Neighbors of Coup De Main

county town
countyhood
countylike
countywide
coup
coup d'arret
coup d'etat
coup d'oeil
coup d'œil
coup d'état
coup d'états
coup de force
coup de foudre
coup de grace
coup de grâce
coup de main (current term)
coup de maitre
coup de sabre
coup de theatre
coup de théâtre
coup injury of brain
coup stick
coup sticks
coupage
coupe
couped
coupee
coupees
coupelike
couper

Literary usage of Coup de main

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. Life of George Washington by Washington Irving (1857)
"... coup de main MEDITATED—POSTURE OP AFFAIRS AT TRENTON—GATES DECLINES TO TAKE A PART HIS COMMENTS ON WASHINGTON^ PLANS—PREPARATIONS FOR THE COUP DE ..."

2. The Annual Register edited by Edmund Burke (1853)
"CHAPTER I. Generally prosperous and peaceful State of the British Empire at the commencement of 1852—The late Coup-de-Main in France—Stat, of Trade, ..."

3. The Annual Register, Or, A View of the History and Politics of the Year (1850)
"... Republicans at a Coup de Main, on the 12th of June—Admirable dispositions of General Changarnier—The Members of the Mountain retire to the Conservatoire ..."

4. Four Years with the Army of the Potomac by Régis de Trobriand (1888)
"... Hell — Origin of the name — Nocturnal coup de main — Muskets, cannons, and mortars — Southern deserters— Victories of Sheridan, Sherman, and Farragut. ..."

5. Memoirs and Correspondence of Viscount Castlereagh, Second Marquess of by Robert Stewart Castlereagh (1851)
"Remarks on the Practicability of taking Antwerp by a Coup de Main. March 2, 1810. The fortifications of the town of Antwerp appeared in 1794 in a neglected ..."

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