Blitz - Definition and Overview

Blitz, the German word for lightning, and often used figuratively as in blitzschnell (as fast as lightning), may mean any of a number of things in English:

• Blitzkrieg, the "lightning war" strategy of WWII Germany
• The Blitz, the German aerial attacks on Britain in WWII
• Baedeker Blitz, the reprisal bombing of strategically unimportant but picturesque British cities
• Blitz (American football), a defensive maneuver in American football
• Blitz chess, a fast chess game allowing only 5 minutes for each player
• Blitz BASIC, a fast dialect of the BASIC programming language
• Blitz (game), a card game

In English, blitz is also used as a verb, meaning to attack something rapidly, usually in a bathetic sense, as with 'nuke' or 'exterminate', i.e. one might 'blitz' housework, lunch, or ants. For political reasons, military commanders avoid the terms 'blitz' and 'blitzkrieg' when referring to actual military operations.

Blitz in German

The term Blitz (literal translation: lightning) is used in the German language for "extraordinary": like "blitzschnell" for extraordinarily fast, "blitzsauber" for extraordinarily clean, "blitzgescheit" for extraordinarily smart. Today these words have started sounding a bit outdated. Another common use is "wie ein Blitz einschlagen" striking like a lightning/bolt, a phrase for something material or non-material reaching the people unexpectedly, quickly and surprisingly like a new product with extraordinary success or totally unexpected news. Blitz also refers to the old god Thor. Germanic mythology gained some importance during the Third Reich.