gas shell
1
8.6
- noun
- /ɡæs ʃɛl/
- NSFW
:
proyectil de gas
- The army equipped its troops with gas shells designed to incapacitate the enemy with poisonous gas.
- mustard gas shells
Examples
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Their combination of gas shells, low flying aircraft and stormtroop tactics was as effective as the British tanks and combined attack had been last week.
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During World War I, the soldiers were often exposed to lethal gas shells that released toxic fumes upon detonation.
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After the explosion of a gas shell, the area became unsafe due to the lingering toxic gas.
Synonyms
2
4.6
A bomb that releases toxic gas when it explodes
How Lethal
- NSFW
13
8.8
- NSFW
1
8.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a straightforward noun+noun composition: a type of shell containing gas (here a toxic agent), so the overall meaning is directly derivable from the constituents 'gas' (toxic gas/agent) and 'shell' (projectile). Although it is specialized military vocabulary, the semantic combination is literal and cross-linguistically transparent, so a learner who knows the parts will understand the meaning.
Etymology
The noun gas shell comes from the literal idea of a metal shell fired from a gun that is filled with poisonous gas, and when it explodes it sends out a harmful cloud. That's why the term means 'an explosive projectile filled with poisonous gas'.