trench mortar

American  

noun

1. a portable, muzzle-loaded mortar, usually having a smooth bore, fired at high angles of elevation to reach concealed enemy targets.

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trench mortar British  

noun

1. a portable mortar used in trench warfare to shoot projectiles at a high trajectory over a short range

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Etymology

Origin of trench mortar

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

There's a trail taking in sites such as a first world war trench mortar, plus an action station where kids get the opportunity to try camouflage gear for themselves.

From The Guardian • Mar. 27, 2010

At 8:45 next morning a trench mortar boomed and 25,000 Boy Scouts stood at attention.

From Time Magazine Archive

"They told us that a medium tank cost $90,000; an 81-mm. trench mortar $800; a 60-mm. trench mortar cost $500, and we made the appropriation on that basis."

From Time Magazine Archive

To blast these regions I have designed a cannon combining the better features of a trench mortar and a slow curve.

From Time Magazine Archive

“He’s all right. It was a big trench mortar shell.”

From "A Farewell To Arms" by Ernest Hemingway