flat scissors

English

A diagram of the flat scissors.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /flæt ˈsɪz.ɚz/

Noun

flat scissors (countable and uncountable, plural flat scissors)

1. (uncountable, aviation, military, with the) A form of the scissors defensive maneuver in dogfighting, involving turning one's aircraft towards that of the attacker and slowing in order to force the opponent to overshoot, without moving out of the initial plane of the attack; often continues, with the roles of attacker and defender alternating between the two aircraft, until one is either shot down or manages to escape.
   1. (countable, aviation, military) An instance of the above dogfighting maneuver.

Usage notes

"Flat" here refers to the engagement remaining confined to one geometric plane; it does not imply that the plane of the engagement is horizontal (although, in practice, the flat scissors does frequently take place on a horizontal plane).

Hypernyms

• scissors

Coordinate terms

• rolling scissors