Molotov cocktail

American  

noun

1. a crude incendiary grenade consisting of a bottle filled with a flammable liquid and a wick that is ignited before throwing: used originally for setting fire to enemy tanks during the Spanish Civil War.

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Molotov cocktail British  

/ ˈmɒləˌtɒf /

noun

1. an elementary incendiary weapon, usually a bottle of petrol with a short-delay fuse or wick; petrol bomb

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Molotov cocktail Cultural  

1. An incendiary bomb made from a breakable container, such as a bottle, filled with flammable liquid and provided with a rag wick. Used by the Soviets against the invading German armies in World War II, these bombs were nicknamed after V. M. Molotov, a foreign minister of the Soviet Union at that time.

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Etymology

Origin of Molotov cocktail

First recorded in 1935–40; named after V. M. Molotov

Example Sentences

Yet, Paul Thomas Anderson’s fun and fizzy adaptation views its Molotov cocktail as half-full.

From Los Angeles Times

Finland has an extended history of war with its larger eastern neighbor — Finns coined the term “Molotov cocktail” during their 1939 Winter War with Russia.

From New York Times

But the relationship between Temi and the wife gives us more to consider, especially as Temi brings things to a breaking point with a Molotov cocktail of a lie.

From Seattle Times

Falling to the floor like winged Molotov cocktails, birds can spark an inferno if they hit an especially dry, tindered patch of earth.

From Science Magazine

From the hotel, Mr. Jeremias ran back to his restaurant, five minutes away, to find it burning from Molotov cocktails hurled by an angry Arab mob.

From New York Times