petrol bomb
1
7.1
- noun
- /ˈpɛtrəl bɒm/
- NSFW
:
bomba molotov
- Witnesses said mobs of ethnic Rakhine Buddhists attacked Muslim villages with petrol bombs, swords, and guns.
- stones and petrol bombs
Examples
-
No body armor then, kids throwing stones and petrol bombs.
Blog text (26) -
Soldiers were positioned in hundreds of sites to secure travel routes and deter stone-throwing and petrol bombs.
Academic text (1991) -
Protective gear against stones and petrol bombs was installed in the army's vehicles.
Academic text (1991) -
Petrol bombs and roadblocks were involved in 15 percent of all violent acts, while, as noted, only 5 percent of violent acts involved firearms.
Academic text (1991) -
A petrol bomb, seen close, pulled from a carrier bag, hurtles through the air—a streak of light against a darkening sky.
Fiction book (1991) -
On a later occasion, he pointed out that the popular uprising, which utilized almost no firearms, needed no logistic system, as the Palestinians could easily supply themselves with stones, knives, or petrol bombs.
Academic text (1991) -
The Suomi Anti-Imperialist Cells excelled at spraying radical political graffiti, but their homemade petrol bombs at the Lyviiskyla police station had done only minor damage.
Fiction book (1996) -
During the riots, several demonstrators threw petrol bombs at the approaching police officers.
-
The investigators found evidence that the group was assembling petrol bombs for their protest.
-
In a shocking act of violence, petrol bombs were launched at the government building during the demonstration.
Synonyms
9
8.1
A bottle filled with liquid and a rag people light and throw to start fires
7
5.6
A bomb made from everyday things used in attacks
6
7.3
A weapon made to start fires using chemicals
1
7.4
A simple weapon that uses a bottle of gasoline and a cloth wick to start fires
1
6.3
A bomb that starts fires to burn buildings or fuel
1
8.5
A device made to start fires in buildings or fuel stores
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly inferable from the parts: a B1 learner who knows 'petrol' (a flammable fuel) and 'bomb' (a harmful/explosive device) can reasonably deduce this refers to a device using petrol to cause fire/explosion. The compound is compositional and follows an obvious noun+noun naming pattern (and similar forms exist in other languages), so the sense is predictable from the constituents.
Etymology
Petrol bomb is a very literal name: people fill a glass bottle with petrol, put a rag inside, light the rag and throw the bottle so it breaks and spreads fire. That's why it means 'a crude weapon used to start fires'.