• unmagical@lemmy.ml
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    2 days ago

    Yeah, was going for the “mild/benign” meaning.

    Basically, “the greatest military in the world, which has NeVeR lOsT a WaR, couldn’t keep the strait that was already open open, lost several planes, and had multiple bases struck.”

    That military seems mild or benign.

    • Deacon@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      Thank you. I didn’t even know this was one of the definitions until seeing your use of it and looking it up. Appreciate you expanding my understanding.

      • unmagical@lemmy.ml
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        2 days ago

        Even the “mild/benign” meaning generally carries a tone of positivity (like a store clerk is trained to be affable–even at their worst they’ll still be polite) so it’s not an exact literal fit here.

        I was using it more as a tongue and cheek jab attempting to highlight more than just the inadequacies, but to paint them as non-threatening. Obviously that’s not case, the US did carry out strikes in Iran and has certainly been threatening both in language and act.

        In a more professional setting devoid of my joke attempt I would have probably used “inept.”