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Glite Dictionary
💣 A large bomb 🏏 A low ball
daisy cutter

daisy cutter

1 9.8
A bomb that breaks into many small fast metal pieces to hit soldiers and vehicles
  • noun
  • /ˈdeɪzi ˈkʌtər/
  • NSFW
translation icon : bomba de fragmentación
  • The military deployed a daisy cutter to clear the area of enemy troops and vehicles.

Oh, yeah, and the other, the other sidebar to that, the day before that I repelled in, they did the Daisy Cutter, and the Daisy Cutter exploded.

Examples

  • Oh, yeah, and the other, the other sidebar to that, the day before that I repelled in, they did the Daisy Cutter, and the Daisy Cutter exploded.

    Shawn Ryan Show

  • During the operation, they dropped a daisy cutter, which created widespread devastation among the enemy forces.

  • The impact of the daisy cutter was so powerful that it shattered windows miles away from the explosion.

Synonyms

anti-personnel bomb
vsdaisy cutter
  • NSFW
1 7.0

A bomb that sends out many small metal pieces to injure or kill people

focuses more on battlefield effect against troops and vehicles
fragmentation bomb
vsdaisy cutter
  • Specialized
8.1

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

is similar but also optimized to hit troops and vehicles
antipersonnel bomb
vsdaisy cutter
  • NSFW
8.2

An explosive that sends many small fast pieces to hurt people

is broader and also effective against vehicles as well as people

Surface Forms

daisy cutter singular
daisy cutters plural

Morphology

daisy + cutter

The literal parts 'daisy' (a flower) and 'cutter' (something that cuts) would lead a B1 learner to expect an object that cuts or is related to daisies, not a type of explosive. The specialized military sense 'a bomb designed to fragment' is metaphorical slang and not predictably derived from the constituents or common compositional patterns, so the expression is opaque to learners.

Etymology

Daisy cutter may come from a bomb that exploded just above the ground and seemed to cut down the small daisies and grass. Because it 'cut' the plants, people called it a cutter, and the name now refers to a bomb that breaks into many deadly small pieces over a wide area.