element of surprise

English

Pronunciation

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Noun

element of surprise (plural elements of surprise)

  1. (idiomatic) The strategic advantage afforded to a party when its opposition may be caught by surprise.
    We should attack the enemy's camp now while we still have the element of surprise.
    • 1992 February 2, Jen Wofford, quoting Garance Franke-Ruta, “Activists Protest Price of AIDS Drug”, in Gay Community News, volume 19, number 28, page 5:
      We exist separately from ACT UP/New York because it's impossible to conduct small actions [i.e. protests] that rely on the element of surprise for their success, when you need to tell 200 people about them first.

Usage notes

Chiefly preceded by the definite article - i.e. the element of surprise.

Translations

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