Why is the word 'bloody' sometimes used before the word 'battle' ? What qualifies a battle with the 'bloody' prefix ?
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M$3 Answers
Battles almost always involve bloodshed, but they can vary greatly in how much. Some battles are mostly maneuver. Some battles are mostly sieges. Sometimes one side breaks and runs after a brief fight.
But, some battles are bloody indeed, with both sides determined to fight as long as they are able. Writers on history often call these bloody battles. If the casualties are mostly on one side, they are often called a bloody defeat or a bloody victory. It is usually not the total number of casualties that cause a battle to be called bloody, usually it is the proportion of the troops involved.
Here are some examples from American history. The Civil War battle of Gettysburg was a bloody battle, the bloodiest in the war with 50,000 casualties. The Battle of New Orleans was a bloody defeat for the British, although the casualties on the American side were very light. The Battle of Long Island during the Revolution is not called a bloody battle because Washington was outnumbered and outmaneuvered and his troops broke and ran quickly.
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M$
When there are a lot of casualties on one side or on both sides, people dying often bleed. A battle which had a lot of causalities, one that caused a lot of injuries and deaths. In the past such battles were generally characterized by close hand to hand fighting where high rate of injuries and deaths were inevitable. War is a terrible thing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kC6gjHjftWg
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M$
Our battles seem to be minor skirmishes compared to those of years gone by, but I sure wouldn't argue with anyone who described a battle as bloody when people are getting blown up and killed.
Thanks for your excellent answer.
In the case of modern war, would we describe them as bloody?
Bloody good answer!
A battle in which there is gore and blood followed by endless violence is said to be bloody battle
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M$
This news article uses the term "bloody battle" to describe an ongoing campaign, rather than a set piece battle, in which numerous civilians have been killed inadvertently in Afganistan.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2007/aug/12/world.afghanistan