holy water sprinkler
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A military club of mediaeval times, set with spikes. So called facetiously because it makes the blood to flow as water sprinkled by an aspergillum.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “holy water sprinkler” mean?
A military club of mediaeval times, set with spikes. So called facetiously because it makes the blood to flow as water sprinkled by an aspergillum.
Is “holy water sprinkler” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.