plastic explosive

American  

noun

1. a puttylike substance that contains an explosive charge, and is detonated by fuse or by remote control: used especially by terrorists and in guerrilla warfare.

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plastic explosive British  

noun

1. an adhesive jelly-like explosive substance

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Etymology

Origin of plastic explosive

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

“Smiles and laughter followed when I produced the marzipan, made in Denmark. It wasn’t a plastic explosive after all, and Dan celebrated his birthday with the cake of his dreams that year.”

From Washington Post • Oct. 26, 2021

In both cases party membership in the provinces was more like plastic explosive.

From Time Magazine Archive

The cantilever is coated on one side with a chemical that specifically binds a target molecule--say, a cancer-related protein or a plastic explosive.

From Time Magazine Archive

The report blamed Pan Am's "seriously flawed" security system for loading an apparently unaccompanied suitcase containing a plastic explosive into the cargo hold of the New York-bound Boeing 747.

From Time Magazine Archive

Allied with Libya, Abu Nidal would presumably have access to Muammar Gaddafi's ample supply of Semtex, a plastic explosive made in Czechoslovakia.

From Time Magazine Archive