whizbang shell
- noun
- /ˈwɪzbæŋ ʃɛl/
- Archaic
:
proyectil explosivo
- Soldiers quickly learned to recognize the telltale sound of a whizbang shell approaching.
Examples
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The trenches shook as another whizbang shell exploded overhead.
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During World War I, the terrifying noise of a whizbang shell became all too familiar to those at the front.
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The soldier fired a whizbang shell during the training exercise.
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Did you hear that whizbang shell explode?
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During World War I, the terrifying noise of a whizbang shell became all too familiar to those at the front.
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Soldiers quickly learned to recognize the telltale sound of a whizbang shell approaching.
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The trenches shook as another whizbang shell exploded overhead.
Synonyms
8
7.5
A metal object fired from a large gun that often has an explosive inside
2
6.7
A heavy explosive used in war that explodes and breaks into pieces
1
6.2
A metal explosive shot from a tank's main gun
An explosive shell that makes a high, fast sound and then a loud bang
How Explosive
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'whizbang' denotes an explosive that makes a whizzing then banging sound and 'shell' is a projectile, so a 'whizbang shell' is predictably a shell that makes that sound/effect. This follows a common noun+noun compounding pattern (modifier + head) found cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would infer the meaning.
Etymology
Whizbang shell comes from the literal sounds of the weapon: a small, very fast shell that first goes whiz as it flies and then makes a loud bang when it explodes. That's why the name means 'a small, very fast military shell that makes a whizzing sound followed by a bang'.