flaming onion en · NOUN
Etymology
From its appearance after exploding.
Meanings
- (historical, slang) A 37 mm Hotchkiss revolving-barrel anti-aircraft gun used by the German army at the beginning of World War I.
-
(historical, slang) The flare or tracer ammunition fired by this weapon.
Allied pilots feared and loathed these, because a hit from a flaming onion instantly turned an aeroplane into an inferno.
1985, Robert Harrison, Aviation Lore in Faulkner, page 116:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| flaming onions | Number=Plur | lexicographic |