blitz

Everyday

1. The Blitz: the heavy German bombing of British cities, especially London, in 1940–1941 during the Second World War. tree →
2. A sudden, strong attack. tree →
3. (informal) A big, fast effort to get something done, as in «a cleaning blitz». tree →
4. (informal) To do something very quickly or to blend food fast. tree →

In the lessons

In history lessons the Blitz is studied with air-raid shelters, blackouts, sirens and evacuated children. In everyday life, «have a blitz» means tidying or working hard fast. In cooking, «blitz it» means whizz it in a blender. In sport, a blitz is a rush attack.

Examples

• Many children were evacuated during the Blitz. tree →
• People slept in Underground stations during the Blitz. tree →
• We had a quick blitz on our bedroom before Grandma came. tree →
• Blitz the strawberries in the blender. tree →
• The team made a blitz on goal in the last minute. tree →
• The shop ran an advertising blitz before Christmas. tree →
• I blitzed my spelling homework in ten minutes. (informal) tree →

Note

Capital B for the historical event: the Blitz. It comes from the German word «Blitzkrieg» (lightning war). Plural: blitzes. Verb is regular: blitzed, blitzing.