direct hit
No near miss
A direct hit is a strike that lands exactly on its target, as opposed to a near miss or glancing blow.
The phrase appears most often in military contexts—bombs, missiles, artillery—but extends to any precise impact: The house took a direct hit during the storm.
Figuratively, criticism or insults that strike home are direct hits.
- bullseyeExact center target
- airstrikeAircraft-delivered military attack
- smart bombSelf-guided explosive weapon
- on the noseExactly accurate or correct
- hole-in-oneSingle-stroke completion
right on target · precision strike · collision · ground zero · bombardment · carpet bombing · shock and awe · target acquisition · home run · center · slam dunk · accurate · nailed · crater · bang on · torpedo · emotional resonance · lightning strike
- Shooting termstake aim, fire away, ready aim fire, on target, bulls eye
- bullseye phrasesbullseye, nailed it, spot-on, dead-on, on point
- Lightninglightning, lightning bolt, lightning strike, bolt, flash
- collisionshead-on, rear-end, sideswipe, T-bone, broadside
- cricket dismissalsbowled, caught, run out, stumped, timed out
direct hitglancing blow
Oblique, partial impact
near miss · ricochet · deflection · graze · brush
hit, direct, direction, director, hitting, indirect, directions, directed, directing