1
Stage 1 of 3
strafen
German · medieval
"to punish"
ordinary German verb for punishing
2
Stage 2 of 3
Gott strafe England
German · 1914
"God punish England"
popular WWI slogan meaning 'God punish England', picked up ironically by British troops
3
Stage 3 of 3
strafe
English · 1915 onward
"to attack ground troops with gunfire from a low-flying aircraft"
British soldiers' slang for any attack, later narrowed to low-flying gun attacks
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