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Dead hand
name, noun
Definitions
Proper Noun
- 1 A weapons system, implemented by the Soviet Union and by the Russian Federation as the successor state thereof, capable of closing a strategic nuclear strike control loop in the absence of normal command and control channels, analogous in concept to a dead man's switch, in anticipation of a decapitation strike.
"Near-synonyms: doomsday weapon, doomsday device, doomsday bomb"
- 2 Any such system, whether the cardinal instance (the Soviet/Russian one) or another.
"The talk then turned darkly to the prospects for building a Dead Hand of their own."
Noun
- 1 A residual undesirable influence from the past. countable, uncountable
"I'll leave the very bad news to the end as it's outside the industry's control. Yes, the dead hand of the Department for Transport (DfT) still rules!"
- 2 the oppressive influence of past events or decisions wordnet
- 3 A hand that is dealt but not used during a card game. countable, uncountable
- 4 real property held inalienably (as by an ecclesiastical corporation) wordnet
- 5 A penalty where a player continues to take their turns, but can no longer win or make tile calls for the remainder of the hand. countable, uncountable
See also for "dead hand"
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