going for the jugular

Attempting a fatal attack against an adversary. An attack intended to completely defeat and destroy one opponent, most particularly by attacking their vital weakness as if trying to sever the jugular vein.

The tactical opposite of "going for the capillaries."

In Star Wars, Luke Skywalker defeated the Death Star by going for the jugular and firing a proton torpedo volley into its main reactor, causing a chain reaction that destroyed the entire station.

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