Blow in the wind

Definition

Intelligence or strategic capability that's unstable and subject to external forces; information that may dissipate without immediate action.

Example Usage

That tactical advantage is just blowing in the wind if we don't act on it in the next 48 hours.

Origin

Military intelligence vernacular, uncertain dating

Source: Military intelligence operations slang

Related Terms

Intermediate

tube artillery

Traditional cannon-based artillery systems as opposed to rockets or missiles, maintaining the ancient and honorable tradition of using controlled explosions to throw metal at distant enemies. Old school boom delivery.

🎖️ Military / Defense

Intermediate

Force Multiplier

Anything that makes a military force more effective without adding more troops. It is the cheat code of warfare — doing more with less. Consultants later stole this term to justify charging $500 an hour for a spreadsheet.

🎖️ Military / Defense

Beginner

charlie foxtrot

Phonetic alphabet euphemism for 'clusterfuck,' describing a situation that has deteriorated into complete chaos. The polite version you can say in front of officers and reporters.

🎖️ Military / Defense

Beginner

missions

In military and corporate contexts, specific assignments or objectives that must be accomplished, usually with more gravitas than 'task' implies. Religious organizations use it for evangelical work in far-flung places. Every organization has them, most are forgotten by Tuesday, but they all sound important in PowerPoint presentations.

🎖️ Military / Defense

Beginner

policing brass

Collecting spent ammunition casings from a firing range or training area. A tedious, mandatory task that somehow always falls to the lowest-ranking personnel present.

🎖️ Military / Defense

Beginner

inactive

Military or organizational status meaning temporarily or permanently out of service—whether that's a weapon system that's broken down, a soldier on leave, or that motivational poster collecting dust in the break room.

🎖️ Military / Defense

Translate This Term

See “Blow in the wind” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.

Try the Translator

Share This Term

Post on X Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn

Discover a Term

Intermediate

purple squirrel

A mythical perfect candidate who meets every single requirement on an impossibly specific job description. Recruiters hu...