Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

damn the torpedoes

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.15 in modern English

Syllables: damn the -tor-pe-does
IPA

25

Scrabble Score

16

Letters

4

Syllables

11

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

Used to dismiss the risks of a dangerous action.

Example Sentences

"There's too much attention paid to the wrong issues. Let's just damn the torpedoes and get it done."

Etymology

From "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!", a famous order issued by Admiral David Farragut during the Battle of Mobile Bay, a paraphrase of the actual order, "Damn the torpedoes! Four bells. Captain Drayton, go ahead! Jouett, full speed!".

Inflected Forms

damns the torpedoes (present, singular) damning the torpedoes (participle, present) damned the torpedoes (participle, past) damned the torpedoes (past)

Phrases

burn one's boats

Frequently Paired Words

burn one's boats

Questions

What does damn the torpedoes mean?: Used to dismiss the risks of a dangerous action.
Where does damn the torpedoes come from?: From "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!", a famous order issued by Admiral David Farragut during the Battle of Mobile Bay, a paraphrase of the actual order, "Damn the torpedoes! Four bells. Captain Drayton, go ahead! Jouett, full speed!".

How to pronounce damn the torpedoes

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