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A coup de grâce (/ ˌ k uː d ə ˈ ɡ r ɑː s /; French: [ku də ɡʁɑs] ⓘ 'blow of mercy') is a death blow to end the suffering of a severely wounded person or animal. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] It may be a mercy killing of mortally wounded civilians or soldiers, friends or enemies, with or without the sufferer's consent.
This occurs notably in the term coup de grâce, in which some speakers omit the final consonant /s/, although it is pronounced in French as [ku də ɡʁɑs]; omitting this consonant instead sounds like coup de gras, meaning a nonsensical "blow of fat."
Coup de grâce is properly pronounced in French as [kud ɡʁas] (2 syllables, not 3). In English it is often mistakenly pronounced [ku də ɡɹa], which is the pronunciation of coup de gras, "blow of fat" in French.
coup de main (pl. coups de main) a surprise attack. In French, [donner] un coup de main means "[to give] a hand" (to give assistance). Even if the English meaning exists as well (as in faire le coup de main), it is old-fashioned. coup d'état (pl. coups d'état) a sudden change in government by force; literally "hit (blow) of state."
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The "hammer and anvil" tactic is fundamentally a single envelopment, and is to be distinguished from a simple encirclement where one group simply keeps an enemy occupied, while a flanking force delivers the coup de grace. The strongest expression of the concept is where both echelons are sufficient in themselves to strike a decisive blow.