acceptable damage

acceptable damage

Destruction or casualties that are considered reasonable because they happen in the context of a war or military attack. Many would argue that even one lost life should not be considered acceptable damage. The general considered the destruction of the tanks to be acceptable damage since his soldiers returned from the mission alive and uninjured.
See also: acceptable, damage
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

acceptable damage

 and acceptable losses
Euph. casualties or destruction inflicted by an enemy that is considered minor or tolerable. At present, the enemy's first-strike capability would produce acceptable damage. The general indicated that the fifty thousand casualties were within the range of acceptable losses.
See also: acceptable, damage
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • damage
  • acceptable
  • acceptable losses
  • that's saying something
  • set (something) against (something)
  • what's mine is yours, and what's yours is mine
  • in (one's) right mind
  • in one's right mind
  • in right mind
  • in your right mind
References in periodicals archive
It is checked whether this damage stays under the acceptable damage levels for each related component.
Determination of local site-specific spectra using probabilistic seismic hazard analysis for Bitlis Province, Turkey/Determinacion de espectros de sitio especifico locales a traves del analisis probabilistico de amenazas sismicas para la provincia de Bitlis, Turquia
As the investigations progress and with the promising results obtained, management by the release of tolerant wheat genotypes may be a more self-reliant and holistic approach to eliminate or maintain total insect pest populations below acceptable damage levels.
Evaluating Resistance of Wheat Germplasms to Attack by Red Flour Beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera)
Absentee bidders can request an auctioneer to provide a condition report, but as always, opinions about acceptable damage, colours, glazes, patination and so on are subjective and can differ between individuals.
Auction mouse
"The low valuation of agricultural production by the insurance companies and the small number of acceptable damages in the list of insurance is the most frequent reasons why farmers do not decide to make this move and use the government support," experts say.
Insurance--solution for the land
However, Alsup has told Oracle to use $100 million as a starting point for determining damages, and has said he won't name a trial date until Oracle provides an acceptable damages report.
Judge hints at stay of Oracle-Google trial until patent reexamination is over
"[And] excess deaths should...be seen as the tip of the iceberg among damages to occur among under five-year-olds in Iraq in the 1990s....The humanitarian disaster which has occurred in Iraq far exceeds what may be any reasonable level of acceptable damages according to the principles of discrimination and proportionality used in warfare....To the degree that economic sanctions complicate access to and utilization of essential goods, sanctions regulations should be modified immediately."
The politics of dead children: Have sanctions against Iraq murdered millions?