kneecapping

Noun

 * 1)  The act of injuring the knees of (a person), usually by shooting at the knees; often a punishment carried out by criminals or terrorists.
 * The mafiosi punished the informer by giving him a kneecapping.
 * Five kneecappings have been reported this month.
 * 1)  An excessively and needlessly damaging attack or disparagement.

Usage notes

 * The literal sense of this term is considered a misnomer by medical professionals because only a very small minority of victims suffer damage to the kneecap.