night of the long knives

== English == === Etymology === Calque of German Nacht der langen Messer, which see for more. In English it tied in with earlier uses of the motif of long knives, as in phrases like the Treachery of the Long Knives (a pseudohistorical massacre of Celts by Anglo-Saxons), used since at least the 1800s. === Noun === night of the long knives (plural nights of the long knives) A purge, in which opponents of a regime or political party are killed or removed. ==== Alternative forms ==== night of long knives, Night of Long Knives Night of the Long Knives ==== Translations ====