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You are here: Home / Language / What Does the Term “Zeroed In” Mean and Where Did the Phrase Come From?

What Does the Term “Zeroed In” Mean and Where Did the Phrase Come From?

July 7, 2020 by Karen Hill

Before the modem era, rifle gunsights were aligned to hit a target at a known distance.

Therefore, with the guesswork removed, any adjustment from a set position would be zero.

The same principle applies to artillery batteries, which adjust their fire to a fixed point or “ground zero,” a term still used with satellite- and laser-guided bombs and missiles.

Like the single-minded person, they’re zeroed in.

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Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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