stench bomb
- noun
- /stɛŋk bɑm/
:
bomba de mal olor
- The students set off a stench bomb in the hallway and the entire floor had to be evacuated.
Examples
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Police used a stench bomb to disperse the crowd during the protest.
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The prankster ordered a stench bomb online to play a joke on his classmates.
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He set off a stench bomb in the classroom.
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The prankster brought a stench bomb to the party.
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The prankster ordered a stench bomb online to play a joke on his classmates.
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Police used a stench bomb to disperse the crowd during the protest.
-
The students set off a stench bomb in the hallway and the entire floor had to be evacuated.
Synonyms
7
3.6
A small thing that makes a very bad smell when you open it
How Smelly
Surface Forms
Morphology
stench + bomb
The compound meaning is directly and predictably built from 'stench' (a powerful offensive smell) + 'bomb' (a device or thing that releases/creates something). A B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer it denotes a device that releases a foul odor; this type of noun compounding (e.g., 'stink bomb') is common and cross-linguistically transparent.
Etymology
The noun stench bomb comes from the image of a small bomb that, when it goes off, gives off a strong bad stench like a tiny smell 'weapon' or prank. That's why stench bomb today means 'a device that releases a very unpleasant smell', often used to make people leave or to play a joke.