Sound a retreat

'Sound' = announce.

The general sounded a retreat, and the troops retreated.

AlpheccaStarsThe general sounded a retreat, and the troops retreated.

Can it be called a 'sobering' answer? A 'cutting' answer (that cuts like a knife)?What?

soheil1Can it be called a 'sobering' answer? A 'cutting' answer (that cuts like a knife)?What?

I call it an illustrative answer.

You sound "the" retreat, not "a", in my book, by the way. You blow (sound) the sequence of notes signifying a command to retreat on a bugle.

enoonYou sound "the" retreat, not "a", in my book, by the way.

The general commanded an advance / a retreat / a charge - it is just one action of many possibilities on a battlefield.
Of course you can talk about a particular retreat: Napoleon called for the retreat from Russia in 1812 when he saw that the war was lost.

AlpheccaStars enoonYou sound "the" retreat, not "a", in my book, by the way.The general commanded an advance / a retreat / a charge - it is just one action of many possibilities on a battlefield. Of course you can talk about a particular retreat: Napoleon called for the retreat from Russia in 1812 when he saw that the war was lost.

I guess I was not clear. You