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.