Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

wild weasel

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.18 in modern English

Syllables
wild weasel
IPA
17
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
1
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An attack airplane specialized for attacking anti-aircraft defenses (AADs), typically surface-to-air missile (SAM) sites and radar control stations, typically with anti-radiation missiles (ARMs).

American usage

noun

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see wild, weasel.

Etymology

Genericization of the codename Wild Weasel of the first aircraft tasked with the anti-SAM role in the USAF during the Vietnam War. From the dancing of weasels in the wild and their behavior of hunting snakes, contrasted with the maneuvering of the wild weasel aircraft and their hunting of SAMs.

Usage

Inflected Forms

wild weasels (plural)

Questions

What does wild weasel mean?
An attack airplane specialized for attacking anti-aircraft defenses (AADs), typically surface-to-air missile (SAM) sites and radar control stations, typically with anti-radiation missiles (ARMs).
Where does wild weasel come from?
Genericization of the codename Wild Weasel of the first aircraft tasked with the anti-SAM role in the USAF during the Vietnam War. From the dancing of weasels in the wild and their behavior of hunting snakes, contrasted with the maneuvering of the wild weasel aircraft and their hunting of SAMs.

How to pronounce wild weasel

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  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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