toffee apple en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
Etymology
The weapon is named after the food item, having a similar shape, i.e. a sphere with attached stick or handle.
Meanings
-
(Commonwealth, Ireland, UK) A candy apple.
Toffee apples and fairy floss are often sold as fairground snacks.
-
(Ireland, UK, historical, slang) A kind of British trench mortar used in World War I.
Here we would find, perhaps, three 18-pounder guns dug in as antitank defences supplemented by 60 lb "toffee apple" trench mortar bombs buried as makeshift anti-tank mines.
2014, Richard Baber, The SOTCW World War I Compendium:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| toffee apples | Number=Plur | lexicographic |