molotov breadbasket
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A canister of incend- iary bombs which, on being launched from a plane, opened and showered the bombs over a wide area.
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 “molotov breadbasket” mean?
A canister of incend- iary bombs which, on being launched from a plane, opened and showered the bombs over a wide area.
Is “molotov breadbasket” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.