| Definitions | noun (plural Molotov cocktails)
- A simple incendiary bomb made from a glass bottle, filled with an inflammable liquid such as petroleum, with a rag for a fuse that is lit just before being hurled.
- (obsolete) A similar incendiary but made stoppered and containing phosphorus disolved in benzene which would self-ignite when smashed and the contents exposed to air. Issued to civilians in Britain during World War II.
(seeCites)
Translations: - German: Molotowcocktail , Brandflasche
- Spanish: coctel molotov , cóctel molotov
Etymology: Coined in Finland during the Winter War of 1939/40 between Finland and the Soviet Union, and named after then Soviet Foreign Minister w:Vyacheslav Molotov, Vyacheslav Molotov (1890-1986). (The Finns used Molotov cocktails against the Soviets.)
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