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

Vitriolic bomb shells of recrimination burst in the camps of Johnson and Darrow while Sinclair's trench mortar added to the loud discord.

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

"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

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

From "A Farewell To Arms" by Ernest Hemingway