ink blot strategy
n.— «In effect, the scheme is a version of the “ink blot” counterinsurgency strategy of grabbing a piece of terrain, stabilizing it and gradually expanding it.» —“Battle for Baghdad Boils Down to Grabbing a Slice at a Time” by Michael R. Gordon New York Times July 26, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Inkhorn terms are bloated, fancy, show-off words formed by cramming Latin and Greek roots into English. The name references little bottles made from animal horn that 14th-century English scribes used to carry their ink. Lexicographer Henry...