A phrase, possibly coined by Arthur C. Clarke, to describe a situation where both parties can destroy the other, but not before the attacked party destroys the attacker.
by 256 September 3, 2003
Get the mutually assured destructionmug. A fund
The PPP scammers made-off like Madoff and they're no different than Mutually Assured Destruction Fund's like FTX or GBTC
by Jaaaay Thringus May 10, 2023
Get the Mutually Assured Destruction Fundmug. 'Mutually Assured' meaning both candidates are assured.
by Jack Tha Rippa September 3, 2003
Get the mutually assured destructionmug. NightWalker Approved Assured Health HolyRoots Is approved Organic Vegan foods and drinks approved by NightWalkers in short another name for HolyRoots but approved by NightWalkers!
HolyRoots approved by NightWalkers, What I hold in my hand is a NightWalker Approved drink HolyRoots. @NWAssuredapprovedhealthHolyRoots is organic vegan NW Approv assured Health, I live long past Methuselah's ages 969 only becasue I take regularly NightWalker Approved Assured Health HolyRoots
by Goodie Tabliser July 31, 2022
Get the NightWalker Approved Assured Health HolyRootsmug. A term expressing an expectation of reciprocity. If event A happens, then event B will certainly follow. Most commonly used in the phrase "mutually assured destruction," which posits that the best defense against a nuclear-based attack is the threat of a "mutually assured" retaliatory nuclear-based attack...although the term can be applied to events less earth-shakingly catastrophic.
"If I go down on you, it damn well better be mutually assured that you'll be sucking my cock afterwards."
by lexicographer September 15, 2003
Get the mutually assuredmug. Derisive term for a sizable number of acquaintances of someone with a dubious reputation who make praising statements about the individual's character/morals, offer to co-sign a loan he's requesting, etc., but who are of comparably-questionable integrity themselves, are also broke, etc., and so their own word and/or reliability is viewed as not being much more of a legitimate guarantee than the promises of the person they're vouching for. In other words, "quantito, but not qualito"... lots of impressive-looking "containers", but with no actual/tangible/legitimate "goods" inside of said containers.
Loan officer: I always feel really wary/suspicious whenever someone of unknown/questionable reputation asks for a loan and offers to bring in a number of other folks to vouch for his character, reliability, and financial responsibility --- "methinks he doth protest too much", plus usually his so-called "witnesses" appear to merely be an "empty-boxcars train of assurers"... they seem no more trustworthy than I would view the loan-requester himself as being, and so their voluminous praise/recommendations hold little significance and inspire little confidence in me regarding whether the loan-requester would actually possess adequate means/motivation/dedication to repay the money. I feel something like how the lady-attorney in "Losing Isaiah" did when she pointed out that the members of the "support group" whom ex-druggie/shoplifter Khaila had named as the people who were assisting her in her efforts to "go straight" and "live clean" had themselves all been former drug-users and/or criminals, and so she felt that they should not be considered to be viable/reliable helpers to prevent Khaila from relapsing.
by QuacksO September 21, 2018
Get the empty-boxcars train of assurersmug. Basically a Mexican standoff between prominent countries that possess nuclear weapons and have different polictical agendas. Causes the entire world to be gripped in a sort of doomsday fatalism. Also results in peace talks to boil down to a pissing match in which each side takes a "I'll-throw-down-my-gun-if-you-throw-down-your-gun-first" attitude.
In "Beneath the Planet of the Apes" the apes may have survived if they had thier own nukes. The mutant humans wouldn't have used thier nuke because of fear of mutually assured destruction. Which didn't matter anyway, because they all ended up dead, like a bunch of pork rinds.
by Pigeon McNugget October 8, 2003
Get the mutually assured destructionmug.