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Glite Dictionary
Big Blue

Big Blue

2 8.4
A very large powerful bomb the US military uses to destroy enemy positions
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Big Blue
  • The US military deployed the Big Blue bomb during operations in Afghanistan.

Examples

  • The Big Blue bomb weighs about 15,000 pounds.

  • Few conventional weapons match the destructive power of the Big Blue.

  • News reports described the impact of the Big Blue on enemy positions.

  • Did the army use Big Blue during the operation?

  • The US military deployed the Big Blue bomb during operations in Afghanistan.

  • Few conventional weapons match the destructive power of the Big Blue.

  • News reports described the impact of the Big Blue on enemy positions.

Synonyms

BLU-82
vsBig Blue
  • Specialized
9.9

A very large powerful bomb used by the US military to clear landing zones with a wide blast

focuses on use in Afghanistan and reputation for strong reliability and destruction
fragmentation bomb
vsBig Blue
  • Specialized
8.1

A weapon that explodes and sends metal pieces at high speed to hurt people and damage things nearby

emphasizes massive blast weight and wide destructive capacity rather than fragment pattern

Surface Forms

Big Blue singular
Big Blues plural

Morphology

big + Blue

While 'big' transparently conveys large size, the element 'Blue' does not indicate a weapon, and the specific sense 'a 15,000‑pound fragmentation bomb used by the US military' cannot be derived from the constituents. As a proper-name nickname the phrase gives a partial clue (size/importance) but not the specialised military referent, so learners who only know the words would only partially infer its meaning.

Etymology

The name Big Blue may come from the simple image of a very large bomb painted blue. Because Big shows the size and Blue shows the color, the name now means 'a very large, powerful bomb used by the military'.