Molotov cocktail

See also: molotov cocktail

English

Alternative forms

• Molotoff cocktail
• molotov cocktail
• Molotov's cocktail

Etymology

Calque of Finnish Molotovin koktaili. Coined in Finland during the Winter War of 1939–40 between Finland and the Soviet Union, and named after then-Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov (1890–1986), who claimed the bombs the Soviet Union dropped on Finland were "airborne humanitarian food deliveries", prompting Finns to say their firebombs were "Molotov cocktails" (a drink to go with his food deliveries).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈmɒ.ləˌtɒf ˈkɒk.teɪl/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈmɔ.ləˌtɔv ˈkɑk.teɪl/

• Audio (US):

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Noun

Molotov cocktail (plural Molotov cocktails)

1. A crude incendiary bomb made from a glass bottle, either filled with a flammable liquid such as petroleum and supplied with a rag for a fuse that is lit just before being hurled, or filled with such a mix of flammable liquids that it ignites itself when it is smashed and its contents are exposed to air.

Quotations

• For quotations using this term, see Citations:Molotov cocktail.

Synonyms

• (bomb): mollie (informal), petrol bomb, Bandera smoothie
• Molotov, molotov

Related terms

• Molotov breadbasket

Translations

simple incendiary bomb

• Afrikaans: petrolbom
• Arabic: زُجاجَة حَارِقَة f (zujāja(t) ḥāriqa), كُوكْتَيْل مُولُوتُوف m (kuktayl molotof)
• Armenian: Մոլոտովի կոկտեյլ (Molotovi kokteyl)
• Azerbaijani: Molotov kokteyli
• Belarusian: кактэ́йль Мо́латава (be) m (kaktéjlʹ Mólatava)
• Bulgarian: кокте́йл Мо́лотов m (koktéjl Mólotov)
• Catalan: còctel Molotov (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 汽油彈／汽油弹 (hei³ jau⁴ daan^6-2)

  Mandarin: 燃燒瓶／燃烧瓶 (zh) (ránshāopíng)

• Czech: Molotovův koktejl m
• Danish: molotovcocktail c
• Dutch: molotovcocktail (nl) m
• Esperanto: brulbotelo
• Estonian: Molotovi kokteil
• Finnish: polttopullo (fi), Molotovin cocktail (fi), Molotovin koktaili
• French: cocktail Molotov (fr) m
• Georgian: მოლოტოვის კოქტეილი (moloṭovis ḳokṭeili)
• German: Molotowcocktail (de) m, Brandflasche (de) f
• Greek: βόμβα μολότοφ f (vómva molótof), κοκτέιλ μολότωφ n (koktéil molótof), κοκτέιλ μολότοφ (el) n (koktéil molótof)
• Hebrew: בַּקְבּוּק תַּבְעֵרָה (he)
• Hungarian: Molotov-koktél (hu)
• Italian: bomba Molotov f
• Japanese: 火炎瓶 (ja) (かえんびん, kaenbin)
• Kannada: ಮೊಲೊಟೊವ್ (moloṭov)
• Korean: 화염병(火焰甁) (hwayeombyeong)
• Latvian: please add this translation if you can
• Lithuanian: please add this translation if you can
• Mongolian: Молотовын коктейль (Molotovyn koktejlʹ)
• Persian: کوکتل مولوتف (fa) (koktel molotof)
• Polish: koktajl Mołotowa (pl) m
• Portuguese: coquetel Molotov
• Russian: кокте́йль Мо́лотова (ru) m (koktɛ́jlʹ Mólotova)
• Serbo-Croatian: Molotovljev koktel
• Slovak: Molotovov koktail m
• Slovene: koktajl Molotova m
• Spanish: cóctel molotov m, bomba molotov f
• Swedish: molotovcocktail (sv) c
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: Molotof kokteyli (tr)
• Ukrainian: кокте́йль Мо́лотова m (koktéjlʹ Mólotova)
• Vietnamese: chai cháy
• Yiddish: צינדפֿלעשל n (tsindfleshl), צינדפֿלאַש f (tsindflash)

References

D. L. Gold (1996), “Etymology and Etiology in the Study of Proper Nouns, Eponymous Lexemes, and Possibly Eponymous Lexemes”, in Onomastica: pismo poświęcone nazewnictwu geograficznemu i osobowemu oraz innym nazwom własnym, v 41, pp 109–38.