recon by fire
n.— «The danger is particularly acute at night. The Iraqis do not have night-vision equipment, so when they spot people approaching their checkpoints they have a tendency to do what the Americans refer to as “recon by fire.” If those people happen to be Americans, they will respond forcefully to any shots fired in their direction, and will sometimes call in an air strike.» —“Iraq: You want me to wear what?!” by Alexandra Zavis in Hawr Rajab, Iraq Los Angeles Times: Babylon & Beyond Feb. 20, 2008. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
What’s up with ketchup? The shifting history and spelling of the name of this condiment. For centuries, ketchup was a fishy sauce originating in Asia—the tomatoes came only later! Plus, a new book shows what’s lost when a language dies: when there...
A listener remembers her grandmother’s colorful comment when someone arrived late after getting lost: You went around your elbow to get to your thumb. Lots of similar sayings in English suggest roundabout routes or overcomplicated tasks, including...