go for the jugular

present singular third person goes for the jugular · participle present going for the jugular · past went for the jugular · participle past gone for the jugular

1. Synonym of go for the throat.

   Sorkin and Boyle don’t go for the jugular. What’s here is all surface-scratching, albeit entertaining and riveting in parts.

   2015 October 21, Dana Barbuto, “Review: Aaron Sorkin makes ‘Steve Jobs’ work”, in Northwest Herald

   4 more examples

   You start to admire the flagrant disregard For the sanctity of other people's lives By the filthy few in positions of power Who go for the jugular in order to survive

   1985, J. G. Thirlwell, “Anything (Viva!)”, in Nail, performed by Scraping Foetus Off the Wheel

   The cover story of last July's Journal was on hardball litigation tactics. It quoted lawyers talking about pulling out all the stops, going for the jugular.

   1988 March 1, “Litigation is War–True or False?”, in ABA Journal, retrieved 29 Mar 2011, page 8

   Hewitt, angered by being kept hanging around, went for the jugular, breaking Roddick’s first and third service games to set himself up for a victory completed with another error from Roddick’s forehand wing.

   2005 January 29, Neil Harmon, “Hewitt to carry the hopes of a nation”, in times.online, UK, retrieved 29 Mar 2011

   We have just now completed the month of August, which is the cruelest month for Democrats, the month when Republicans go for the jugular, trotting out arguments — some valid, most scurrilous — that paint their Democratic rivals as weak, élite or unpatriotic.

   2008 August 28, Joe Klein, “What Bush Taught McCain”, in Time

   Synonyms: go for the throat