Terminate with extreme prejudice

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For the 1987 film, see Extreme Prejudice (film).

Terminate with extreme prejudice is a term used by Bernard Conners in his novel Don't Embarrass the Bureau^[1]. In context it is understood to mean assassinate. Since the novel, the term has been used in other literature in a similar context, particularly in the 1979 film Apocalypse Now, in which Martin Sheen's character is ordered to terminate the insane Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando) with "extreme prejudice." The term was also used in the movie The Stupids, starring Tom Arnold.

The extraction "extreme prejudice" is popularly thought to have originated in military circles and to mean a "take no prisoners" or "show no mercy" attitude by military forces. However, the U.S. Military denies using the term or supporting any actions as depicted in any of the literature. "Extreme prejudice" has since become a humorous term meaning to take any action to absurd limits, such as to "borrow with extreme prejudice" meaning to steal.^{[citation needed]} (see discussion)