Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

To: Steelfish

Just eight months ago our craven leader assured us that ISIS was the junior varsity team and that our enemies had been decimated. I thought about it and concluded that Obama thought ‘decimated’ sounded even tougher than ‘devastated’. Of course when a group of fighters has been ‘decimated’ it means that one in ten in the unit has been killed. Historically decimation comes from a punishment Roman commanders could use when a Roman fighting unit displayed cowardice or otherwise needed encouragement to perform at a higher level.


6 posted on 08/22/2014 1:13:38 PM PDT by dogcaller
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]


To: dogcaller
Of course when a group of fighters has been ‘decimated’ it means that one in ten in the unit has been killed.

I believe it means only 1 in 10 survived.
12 posted on 08/22/2014 3:21:26 PM PDT by Nepeta
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson