Zero Dark Thirty
Half past midnight
Zero dark thirty is military slang for an unspecified time in the early morning hours, before dawn—the "zero" hours on a 24-hour clock.
The phrase suggests a time when operations happen under cover of darkness: We ship out at zero dark thirty.
It gained wider recognition as the title of a 2012 film about the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.
- war on terrorCampaign against militant violence
- raidSudden armed incursion
- night raidAttack launched after dark
- Navy SEALsElite maritime combat specialists
- special opsElite covert military forces
Kathryn Bigelow · military · operation · Black Hawk · CIA · midnight · Munich · Argo · American Sniper · Osama bin Laden · compound · covert · Abbottabad · manhunt · stealth · interrogation · terrorism · intelligence
- Military TV/FilmMASH, Band of Brothers, The Pacific, JAG, NCIS
- History FilmsLincoln, Gettysburg, Glory, Selma, Saving Private Ryan
- Political ThrillersThe Manchurian Candidate, No Way Out, The Pelican Brief, Argo, JFK
- MarinesUSMC, marines, Marine Corps, leathernecks, Semper Fidelis
- war mediawar films, war footage, war correspondents, war correspondent, war reporting
Zero Dark Thirtyhigh noon
Solar zenith, or confrontation
midday · broad daylight · noon · dawn · afternoon
zero, dark, thirty, zeros, zeroed, zeroing, darken, darkened, darkening