bomb

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

Contents 1 English 1.1 Pronunciation 1.2 Etymology 1.3 Noun 1.3.1 Usage notes 1.3.2 Synonyms 1.3.3 Derived terms 1.3.4 Translations 1.3.5 See also 1.4 Verb 1.4.1 Derived terms 1.4.2 Translations 2 Norwegian 2.1 Verb form

[edit] English

[edit] Pronunciation

• IPA: /bɑm/
•  Audio (US)^{help, file}
• Rhymes: -ɒm

[edit] Etymology

From Ancient Greek βόμβος (bombos), “‘booming, humming, buzzing’”), imitative of the sound itself, via Latin bombus (“‘a booming sound’”).

[edit] Noun

bomb (plural bombs)

1. An explosive device used or intended as a weapon.
2. (slang): A failure; an unpopular commercial product.

   That movie was a bomb.

3. (Australian and US, vehicles, informal) A car in poor condition. Used often as old bomb.
   • 2005 August 6, Warm affection for a rust-bucket past, Sydney Morning Herald [1]

     "Nowadays, an old bomb simply won’t pass the inspection."

4. (chiefly British slang) A success; the bomb.

   Our fabulous new crumpets have been selling like a bomb.

5. (chiefly British slang) A very attractive woman; a bombshell.
6. (American football) A long forward pass.
7. (chemistry) A heavy-walled container designed to permit chemical reactions under high pressure. "The titanium tetrachloride is then reduced with sodium to form pure metallic titanium (99.9%) by heating TiCl4 with Na in a steel bomb at 700–800 °C in the Hunter process."

[edit] Usage notes

The diametrical slang meanings are somewhat distinguishable by the article. For “a success”, the phrase is generally the bomb. Otherwise bomb can mean “a failure”.

[edit] Synonyms

• (attractive woman): bombshell
• (car): rust bucket

[edit] Derived terms

• A-bomb
• atom bomb
• atomic bomb
• bomb squad
• car bomb
• dirty bomb
• gay bomb
• H-bomb
• hydrogen bomb
• neutron bomb
• paper bomb
• petrol bomb
• pipe bomb
• sex bomb

[edit] Translations

[edit] See also

• lemon

[edit] Verb

to bomb (third-person singular simple present bombs, present participle bombing, simple past and past participle bombed)

1. (transitive) To attack using one or more bombs; to bombard.
2. (slang) (intransitive) To fail dismally.

   Despite all the marketing, our product bombed. Nobody would buy it.

   Dunce cap bombed his examination yet again.

[edit] Derived terms

• bomber

[edit] Translations

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[edit] Norwegian

[edit] Verb form

bomb

1. Imperative of bombe