Gulliver effect
(GUL.uh.vur uh.fekt)
n.
When a large target succumbs to an attack by numerous smaller adversaries.
Example Citation:
Both events underscore the impact of what's come to be called the "Gulliver Effect" — when a large target, like electronic financial transfers, are attacked from many different directions at once.
—"Are Smart Cards Safe Enough for E-Commerce?," Bank Systems + Technology, December 1996
Earliest Citation:
IT used to be said of the United States that when it, as a great power, stretched its arms and yawned drowsily, other nations experienced earthquakes. Now the US is learning what it means to be on the other side of the "Gulliver" effect as its neighbor Mexico flings out its own arms — though more in desperate search of help than amiable lethargy.
—"Valuing Mexico," Christian Science Monitor, June 12, 1986
