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Overkill is the use of excessive force or action that goes further
than is necessary to achieve its goal. For example, using a sledgehammer
to crack a hazelnut, cutting butter with a katana, using a flamethrower
to light a candle, or killing an ant with a rocket launcher would be
considered overkill.
Contents
1 Nuclear weapons
2 Criminology
3 In movies
4 In video games
5 In Music
6 In literature
7 Notes
Nuclear weapons
Overkill is especially used to refer to a destructive nuclear capacity
exceeding the amount needed to destroy an enemy[1].
The term is attested from 1945[2] and was in common use during the Cold
War era, referring to the arms race between the United States and the
Soviet Union. Both nations possessed (US and Russia still possess) more
than enough nuclear weapons to destroy one another many times over —
nuclear overkill.
US policy was to be able to drop a nuclear bomb on every Soviet town and
city forty times over; the term was called "pounding the rubble" or, as
military officers sometimes joked, "pounding the rouble".
Criminology
In criminal profiling, the term "overkill" refers to the wounds or
mutilations inflicted by offenders (especially serial killers), which go
beyond what is necessary to kill the victim. Such wounds are often
inflicted post mortem. This often occurs when the attacker is completely
out of control i.e. a blind rage or the proverbial red mist.
Alternatively, the deed may be done calmly in order to satisfy the
control/possession fantasies of the assailant. A classic example would
be a frenzied stabbing where the victim has suffered a very high count
of abdominal wounds.
In movies
In a critical sense, overkill might be considered a close relative of
overacting and overdramatizing. For example, in most modern horror
films, such as Friday the 13th, most of the killing is quickly clichéd,
and is always overkill. For instance, when someone has fallen three
stories onto the pavement, it would be overkill to hack him or her up
with a chainsaw.
In video games
Overkill is a common feature in many video games. In some games, such as
Final Fantasy X, "overkill" is made part of the battle system; finishing
off an enemy with a very high-damage attack may give bonus rewards after
battle. Overkill is one of the killing spree medals in Halo 2.
Overkill is also a medal and Achievement in "Halo 3".
In Call of Duty 4 Overkill is a tier 2 perk that lets the player carry
two main weapons.
In first-person shooters, overkilling a character will often result in
gibbing that character.
Overkill is the name of Vice's HSDM in The King of Fighters 2002.
In Music
Overkill (band) is an American thrash metal band, formed in 1980 in New
Jersey. The band has been active since 1984, releasing 15 studio albums,
2 EPs, 2 live albums and a "covers" album.
Motörhead's studio album and song from the album of the same name
released in 1979. Lyrics written by Lemmy (Ian Fraser Kilmister).
Men at Work has a song called "Overkill", which has been covered by
Lazlo Bane. Lazlo Bane are well known for collaborating with Colin Hay,
who sings the final part of the song. Colin Hay is also in the official
music video. Colin Hay has also covered "Overkill" by himself. This song
is in the first episode of Scrubs Season 2 and on the Scrubs soundtrack.
The video game Overkill: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overkill_%28video_game%29
In literature
Overkill can also be in written literature. Describing excessive detail
and dialog can be hard on the reader, and might lose interest. Overkill
is mostly prone to amateur writers, who work hard to describe the story
for the reader, but ends with giving too much information leaving
readers with little imagination to what is going on.
Notes
^ <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/overkill>.
^ "overkill." Online Etymology Dictionary. Douglas Harper, Historian. 31
Mar. 2009. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/overkill>.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overkill"
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