Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Bomb |
BombNoun1. An explosive device fused to denote under specific conditions. 2. Strong sealed vessel for measuring heat of combustion. 3. An event that fails badly or is totally ineffectual; "the first experiment was a real turkey"; "the meeting was a dud as far as new business was concerned". Verb1. Throw bombs at or attack with bombs; "The Americans bombed Dresden". 2. Fail to get a passing grade; "She studied hard but failed nevertheless"; "Did I fail the test?". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "bomb" was first used: 1684. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Computing | Bomb 1. v. General synonym for crash (sense 1) except that it is not used as a noun; esp. used of software or OS failures. "Don't run Empire with less than 32K stack, it'll bomb." 2. n.,v. Atari ST and Macintosh equivalents of a Unix `panic' or Amiga guru meditation, in which icons of little black-powder bombs or mushroom clouds are displayed, indicating that the system has died. On the Mac, this may be accompanied by a decimal (or occasionally hexadecimal) number indicating what went wrong, similar to the Amiga guru meditation number. {MS-DOS machines tend to get locked up in this situation. Source: Jargon File. |
Physics | Container in which is placed a charge with the property of emitting radiations by spontaneous transformation of its atoms. Source: European Union. (references) |
Literature | Bomb A shell filled with gunpowder. (Greek, bombos; Latin, bombus, any deep noise. Thus Festus says: "Bombus, sonus non apium tantum, aut poculi bilbientis, sed etiam tonitrŝ." And Catullus applies it to the blast of a trumpet, "efflabant cornua bombis," lxiv. 263.). Source: Brewer's Dictionary. |
Mining | A. A more or less rounded mass of lava from a few inches to several feet in diameter, generally vesicular, at least inside, thrown from the throat of a volcano during an explosive eruption. b. An ellipsoidal, discoidal, or irregularly rounded mass of lava ejected at a high temperature during a volcanic eruption. Bombs range upwards in size from the largest lapilli. They are characterized by a well-defined crust and are often cellular or even hollow internally c. A missile containing an explosive, as dynamite. d. A heavy-walled reaction vessel or autoclave. Used to carry outreactions at high pressure and high temperature. (references) |
Slang | Adjective. Source: The word, "bomb" is an actual word in which another meaning was developed other than the original. Definition: Good, great, cool, etc. Context: The word is used by the AKA's and many, many others during very casual conversation. Social Source: AKA'S (Aoistair, Kenny, and Amon) . Source: Compiled by The University of Oregon. (additional references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
A bomb is an explosive device, usually some kind of container, filled with explosive material, designed to cause destruction when set off. The explosion of the bomb has to be triggered, usually by a clock, a remote control, or some kind of sensor, usually pressure (altitude), radar, or contact.
Bombs are often used in warfare, and as part of terrorism. The most powerful bomb in existence is the hydrogen bomb, the most powerful non-nuclear bomb is the MOAB (Massive Ordnance Air Burst).
- BLU = Bomb/mine Live Unit
- GBU = Guided Bomb Unit
- LGB = Laser Guided Bomb
- C-4 = a variant of plastique explosive
See also
- bomb disposal
- bomb threat
- car bomb
- cluster bomb
- dirty bomb
- gravity bomb
- grenade
- neutron bomb
- pipe bomb
External Link
Much less destructive is a water bomb, a popular children's toy used both for cooling down during hot weather, and for pulling practical jokes.
The term bomb is often used as slang:
- It can be used to mean "really good," as in "It's bomb."" (also: "It's the bomb.") Similarly, it can be used to label something as being expensive, implying that expensive goods are of high quality.
- Bomb is also used in the sense of "going very quickly," as in "bombing along."
- The term old bomb is used to refer to an old automobile in very poor condition.
- Someone who tries and fails spectacularly at a task is often said to have bombed out; for example, a comedian who tells a joke which falls flat says that joke bombed.
- A motion picture or theatrical production which is a financial failure is often described as a bomb. Alternatively, some people use the term bomb to refer instead to films of particularly bad quality, irrelevent of financial concerns. In seeming contradiction to this, a blockbuster motion picture is a great financial success.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Bomb."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
A suicide bombing is a bomb attack on people or property, delivered by a person who knows the explosion will cause his own death (see suicide).The Arab press generally refer to a suicide bomber as a "human bomb". The Bush administration briefly tried to get journalists to use the term homicide bombing, but it did not gain currency.
Overview
Suicide bombings have taken various forms.
Throughout history, soldiers and others have resorted to suicide attacks out of sudden desperation, as to prevent capture or to relieve a pinned-down unit, by simply detonating a grenade while holding it near enemy troops.
In World War II, kamikaze pilots acted as "human missiles" by flying their planes, heavily laden with explosives, directly into enemy warships.
In the Middle East, hundreds of suicide bombings have been undertaken in the last few decades, primarily by Arab men and youths. During the Al-Aqsa Intifada the Palestinians have attempted to kill Israelis using suicide bombers nearly every single day. They strap themselves with high explosives (and sometimes shrapnel) and seek out a civilian or military target. If the suicide bombing is successful, the bomber kills a number of people. Recent bombings have targeted civilian women and children and have even been carried out by women, and teenagers with their parents support and encouragement.
The Tamil Tigers have committed 75 suicide bombings since 1980 [1].
Often there is a religious element involved, besides other motives such as politics or blackmail: many suicide bombers believe that they will attain an otherwordly reward for their sacrifice. Those who send suicide bombers on missions cultivate the belief that suicide bombers are martyrs.
Military historians classify suicide bombing as a form of armed violence, belonging to the tactics of asymmetric warfare -- suicide bombings are only common when one side in a violent conflict lacks the means for effective "conventional" attacks.
Bombings
Suicide bombing usually (but not always) targets poorly-guarded nonmilitary facilities and personnel. It can be either a military tactic, a political one, or a mixture of the two. It may qualify as terrorism where the intention is to kill, maim or terrorise a predominantly civilian target population, or fall within the definition of an act of war where it is committed against a military target under war conditions.
As a political tactic, suicide bombings send a message of impassioned opposition to enemy forces (that the bomber is willing to die for his cause) and a message of desperate recklessness to third parties (that the bomber feels the justice of the cause so strongly that he would rather die than submit and that he is giving little thought to the danger). However, it may backfire, as suicide bombings ignite rage and hatred and undermine the belief in the humanity of the side performing them.
When used against civilian targets, suicide bombing often causes fear in the target population greater than that caused by other forms of terrorism, as the fact that the bomber intends to die makes deterrence almost impossible. Though use against civilian targets have differing effects on their goals (see reaction below). Some economists suggest that this tactic goes beyond symbolism and is actually a response to commodified or controlled or devalued lives, and consider family prestige and financial compensation from the community to compensate for their own life.
The doctrine of asymmetric warfare views suicide bombing in terms of an imbalance of power. Groups with little significant power resort to suicide bombing as a response to actions or policies of a group with great power. Groups which have significant power have no need to resort to suicide bombing to achieve their aims: in consequence suicide bombing is overwhelmingly used by guerrilla, unlawful enemy combatants, and other irregular fighting forces. Among many such groups, there are religious overtones: bombers and their supporters may believe that their sacrifice will be rewarded in an afterlife. Suicide bombers often believe, correctly or incorrectly, that their actions are in accordance with moral or social standards because they are aimed at fighting unjust acts.
History
Self-sacrifice has always been a concept as part of war. From the earliest days of honoring fallen soldiers as heroes, the concept of self-sacrifice for the cause of one's society or beliefs has been and remains a highly regarded archetype within human societies. Soldiers who lay down their lives to protect their comrades are commonly awarded the highest recognition for courage in battle, while those who survive combat are honored for their sacrifice of time, of innocence, and other injury. Though unlike soldiers that respect the laws of war (which have been observed for centuries in one form or another), suicide bombers do not adhere to primarily targeting military targets alone.
The act of deliberately destroying oneself to inflict harm on an enemy is more restricted to modern times and the era of explosives. The line between the two is considered by some a matter of subjectivity, as in the argument that many WWII soldiers killed were "martyrs" (in the sense that they were to suffer for the sake of a principle, rather than dying as the penalty for refusing to renounce a belief) because their life expectancy in combat was very low -- often averaging only two or three months.
The ritual act of self-sacrifice during combat appeared in a large scale at the end of World War II with the Japanese kamikaze bombers. In these attacks, airplanes were used as flying bombs -- Later in the war, as Japan became more desperate, this act became formalized, ritualized, and planes were outfitted with explosives specific to the task of a suicide mission. Kamikaze strikes were a weapon of symmetric war used by the Empire of Japan chiefly against United States Navy aircraft carriers. The Japanese also sent two-man midget submariness, essentially manned torpedoes, on suicide missions. After aiming the sub at their target, the two crew members were to embrace and shoot each other in the head. Social support for such choices was strong, due in part to Japanese cultural history, in which seppuku, honorable suicide, was part of samurai duty. It was also fostered and indoctrinated by the Imperial program to persuade, often through coercion (such as through doping), the Japanese soldiers to commit these acts.
Guerrilla groups that have employed suicide bombing include the Kurdistan Workers Party and the Tamil Tigers. Suicide bombing has been a particularly popular tactic amongst some Palestinian guerrilla groups, including Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade. Bombers affiliated with these groups often use so-called "suicide belts", explosive devices designed to be strapped to the body under clothing. The manufacture and shipping of these devices is generally considered a form of support for terrorism. The term "suicide bombing" became commonplace after the attack on a United States Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1983.
The September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attack used large fully-fueled planes as enormous cruise missiles flown into buildings, killing the planes' hijackers, and causing over 2,500 casualties in the process -- making it the most destructive suicide bombing in history. It also had vast economic and political impact: for a cost of 20 attackers' lives and apparently under US$100,000, global markets registered a trillion-dollar drop within a week, and huge new expenditures for military and surveillance technology were made in response.
After the U.S occupied Iraq in 2003, a small wave of suicide bombings occurred. The suicide bombers target mainly United States military targets although civilian targets such as Shiite mosques and international offices of the UN and the Red Cross were also attacked.
Range of opinions
World leaders usually express resolve to continue on their previous course of affairs after such attacks. Leaders around the globe denounce suicide bombings and sometimes vow not to let such bombings deter what they see as their efforts to further civilization.
Suicide bombings in Israel are usually followed by reprisals. As the suicide bomber himself (the bombers are almost always young men) cannot be targeted, responses often target the community or organization he came from. In the West Bank the armed forces of Israel usually demolish homes which are claimed to be those of families whose children have volunteered for such missions. Since many families encourage their children to volunteer to such acts, and expecting a financial reward from the Palestinian Authority and other Arab "charity" organizations (Saddam Hussein was known for paying $1010,000-20,000 to families of suicide bombers), the act of demolishing house has a deterring effect. There are numerous reports in the Israeli press about families who turned in the children after they fear their house will be demolished by the IDF.
It is sometimes claimed that suicide bombings, notably those of the Japanese kamikazes, the Palestinian bombers, and even the September 11, 2001 attacks, were military failures, and highly counter-productive to the perpetrators. In the case of the kamikazes, this is seen as untrue by some: although the kamikaze attacks could not stop the Allied advance, they inflicted more casualties and delayed the fall of Japan for longer than might have been the case using only the conventional methods available to the Empire. The kamikaze attacks did reinforce the resolution of the WWII Allies to destroy the Imperial force, though. In the case of the September 11th attacks, the long-term effects remain to be seen, but in the short to medium term, the results were profound: since September 11th Western nations have diverted massive resources into unexpected areas and no citizen remains untouched.
The Palestinian suicide bombings, however, are more challenging to assess to some. In the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, there was a steady and continuous deployment of suicide bombers in 2000 following the collapse of the Camp David II summit between the PLO and Israel. In response, Israel mobilized its army in order to seal off the Gaza Strip and re-occupy the West Bank, placing it under military rule with the area patrolled by tanks, and the Israelis began a campaign of targeted assassinations to terminate militant Palestinian leaders (using jets and helicopters for this purpose).
Most significantly, the suicide missions having killed hundreds and maimed thousands of Israelis is believed by some to have brought on a move to the political right and the rise of a hard-line government and policy headed by the militaristic general, prime minister Ariel Sharon. Sharon's government has imposed restrictions on the Palestinian community, making commerce, travel, schooling, and everyday life difficult for the Palestinians, with the average Palestinian suffering due to the choices of the suicide bombers.
Social support by some for this activity remains, however, as of the calling of a truce at the end of June 2003. This may be due to the economic or social purpose of the suicide bombing and the refusal to accept external judgements on those who sanction them. The peace plan presently being discussed may be better from the Palestinians' point of view than that which existed prior to the 2000 renewal of conflict. Such attacks, though, have stalled and stopped peace plans in the past (which continues the Palestinian occupation) and sparked deep mutual hatred and distrust, so these attacks may be counterproductive. Suicide bombing may thus "work" as a military tactic (in that it may cost fewer lives than any conventional war) and may or may not achieve the political objectives sought by the combatant. It is likely to remain a feature of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
See also: terrorism, asymmetric warfare, assassination
Usage and related-terms
The factual accuracy of this section is disputed; See Talk.It seems that the usage of a phrase suicide bombing is back to as early as 1947. The Times (London) of April 15, 1947, page 2, refers to a new pilotless, radio-controlled rocket missile thus: ' Designed originally as a counter-measure to the Japanese "suicide-bomber," it is now a potent weapon for defence or offence '. The quotes are in the original and suggest that the phrase was an existing one. An earlier article (Aug 21, 1945, page 6) refers to a kamikaze plane as a "suicide-bomb".
Suicide bombing can be referred by different phrases to make positive connotation or negative connotations. A term homicide bombing was coined and popularized by the press secretary of President George W. Bush as a synonym for "suicide bombing" to de-emphasize the self-sacrificial connotations of suicide bombing and emphasize the contention of the Bush administration that suicide bombers are committing murder. The term was established by White House spokesman Ari Fleischer in April 2002. The use of the term is not as common as that of suicide bombing, although Fox News and the New York Post adopted it for a time.
Some people criticize that homicide bombing is an inaccurate phrase and it should not be used to describe suicide bombings, on the grounds that the term "homicide bomber" would refer to those who kill other people with bombs but not themselves, such as someone who leaves a booby-trap or tosses a grenade. One objection to the use of the phrase comes from people who disagree with the Bush administration as to whether the recent wave of suicide bombings in the Middle East constitute "murder". These advocates generally consider the bombers to be martyrs; they object to calling the people killed by the bombs "homicide victims".
Compare with: Martyrdom operation, Freedom fries
See also: terrorism, asymmetric warfare, assassination
External links, resources, references
]
- Suicide Bombers - Why do they do it, and what does Islam say about their actions?
- What makes suicide bombers tick? - Suicide bomber profile and info
- Why We Have Become Suicide Bombers : Understanding Palestinian Terror
- The Culture of Martyrdom - How suicide bombing became not just a means but an end
- Erased In A Moment : Suicide Bombing Attacks Against Israeli Civilians [Human Rights Watch]
- History of use of the phrase "suicide bomber"
- History of use of the phrase "homicide bombing"
- [http://www.iwar.org.uk/infocon/suicide-bombers.htm USAF Suicide Bombers Intelligence Brief
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Suicide bombing."
| The following table is compiled from various sources, across various languages. When English abbreviations or acronyms come from a non-English source, this is noted. | |||
| Entry | Source | Expression | Field |
BOMB | English | Bombing | Transportation |
BOMB | French | Bombardement | Transportation |
BOMB | German | Bombenabwurf | Transportation |
BOMB | Italian | Bombardamento | Transportation |
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |||
Synonyms: BombSynonyms: bomb calorimeter (n), dud (n), turkey (n), bombard (v), fail (v), flunk (v), flush it (v). (additional references) |
| Antonym: pass (v). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Arms | Missile, bolt, projectile, shot, ball; grape; grape shot, canister shot, bar shot, cannon shot, langrel shot, langrage shot, round shot, chain shot; balista, ballista, slung shot, trebucbet, trebucket; bullet, slug, stone, brickbat, grenade, shell, bomb, carcass, rocket; congreve, congreve rocket; shrapnel, mitraille; levin bolt, levin brand; thunderbolt. |
Attack | Bomb, rocket, blast. |
Combatant | Man-of-war; destroyer; submarine; minesweeper; torpedo-boat, torpedo-destroyer; patrol torpedo boat, PT boat; torpedo-catcher, war castle, H.M.S.; battleship, battle wagon, dreadnought, line of battle ship, ship of the line; aircraft carrier, carrier. flattop; helicopter carrier; missile platform, missile boat; ironclad, turret ship, ram, monitor, floating battery; first-rate, frigate, sloop of war, corvette, gunboat, bomb vessel; flagship, guard ship, cruiser; armored cruiser, protected cruiser; privateer. |
Destruction | Deal destruction, desolate, devastate, lay waste, ravage gut; disorganize; dismantle; (render useless); devour, swallow up, sap, mine, blast, bomb, blow to smithereens, drop the big one, confound; exterminate, extinguish, quench, annihilate; snuff out, put out, stamp out, trample out; lay in the dust, trample in the dust; prostrate; tread under foot; crush under foot, trample under foot; lay the ax to the root of; make short work of, make clean sweep of, make mincemeat of; cut up root and branch, chop into pieces, cut into ribbons; fling to the winds, scatter to the winds; throw overboard; strike at the root of, sap the foundations of, spring a mine, blow up, ravage with fire and sword; cast to the dogs; eradicate. |
Prodigy | Bursting of a shell, bursting of a bomb; volcanic eruption, peal of thunder; thunder-clap, thunder-bolt. |
Thermometer | Noun: thermometer, thermometrograph, mercury thermometer, alcohol thermometer, clinical thermometer, dry-bulb thermometer, wet-bulb thermometer, Anschutz thermometer, gas thermometer, telethermometer; color-changing temperature indicator; thermopile, thermoscope; pyrometer, calorimeter, bomb calorimeter; thermistor, thermocouple. |
Wit | Bomb, fall flat; go over like a lead balloon. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | Do you know what kind of a bomb it was (The Pink Panther Strikes Again; writing credit: Blake Edwards and Frank Waldman.) The bomb could go off and their mutant genes would form the same cliques (Say Anything; writing credit: Cameron Crowe.) There's a bomb on a bus. Once the bus goes 50 miles an hour, the bomb is armed (Speed; writing credit: Graham Yost) You threatened that stewardess with a bomb! (Meet the Parents; writing credit: Greg Glienna; Mary Ruth Clarke) No, but I heard it was the bomb. (Rush Hour 2; writing credit: Jeff Nathanson) | |
Lyrics | That there's a bomb down there (Clockwork Creep; performing artist: 10CC) We in that sunshine state with a bomb ass hemp beat (California Love; performing artist: 2 PAC) Until she dropped the bomb on me (I Wish; performing artist: Carl Thomas) And make a bomb of love and blow it up (I Did It; performing artist: Dave Matthews Band) Love me like a bomb, baby, c'mon get it on (Pour Some Sugar On Me; performing artist: Def Leppard) | |
Clever | Who cares if a laser-guided, 500-pound bomb is accurate to within 9 feet? (references; author: unknown) You can bomb the world into pieces, but you can't bomb the world into peace. (references; author: unknown) The very first bomb dropped by the Allies on Berlin during World War II killed the only elephant in the Berlin Zoo. (references; author: unknown) | |
Movie/TV Titles | Alice Has Discovered the Napalm Bomb (1969) Ngitngit ng pitong whistle bomb (1968) Population Explosion: The Human Bomb (1968) Bomb Voyage (1967) Father Time Bomb (1967) | |
Song Titles | YOU DROPPED A BOMB ON ME (performing artist: Gap Band ) Cherry Bomb (performing artist: John Cougar Mellencamp) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
Books | |||
Periodicals |
| ||
Theater & Movies | |||
Music |
| ||
High Tech |
| ||
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | Radio Acoustic Ranging - igniting the bomb and timing fuse TNT bombs were sound source for RAR RAR work on OCEANOGRAPHER. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection. |  | Timing the fuse on a quart bomb during RAR operations TNT bombs were sound source for RAR RAR work on OCEANOGRAPHER. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection. |
 | Coast and Geodetic Survey Ship STIRNI. This ship was named in memory of Lt. (j.g.) Joseph Stirni, USC&GS, who was killed while a Japanese prisoner of war in 1945. He was killed by a U. S. bomb hitting the ship he was being transported to Japan on from the Philippine Islands. Credit: Sailing for Science - the NOAA Fleet Then and Now. |  | Double checks fittings on a GBU-24 bomb. |
 | A 509th Bomb Wing B-2 refuels. |  | Senior Airman Bobby Ridgeway makes sure that Maj. Kevin Jens is securely strapped into his F-16 during 12th Air Force's Gila Bomb 00-2 competition. Both are from the 34th Fighter Squadron at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. Jens earned the Best Low-Angle Strafe. |
 | The Mobile Bomb Renovation Plant at Anderson Air Force Base, Guam, blasts a Mk 82 500-pound general-purpose bomb. Anderson AFB has 70,000 Mk 82 bombs to repaint using the new renovation tool. (Courtesy photo). |  | Two people from the 36th Maintenance Squadron Munitions Flight inspect a rusted Mk-82 general-purpose bomb before the bomb's surface is repainted. Anderson Air Force Base, Guam is the first Air Force base to use the Mobile Bomb Renovation Plant. (Courtesy. |
 | Col. Mark Schultz, 319th Air Refueling Wing Operations Group commander, Grand Forks, N.D., radios security forces about a simulated suspected car bomb during a field training exercise, March 6 at Ft. Dix, N.J. Schultz is at the Air Mobility Warfare Center. |  | At Temple, Texas, biological science technician Katherine Jones uses a pressure bomb to compare water status of plants growing under varying levels of carbon dioxide in the experimental CO²-gradient tunnel system. P. Credit: USDA ARS News; photo by Scott Bauer.. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
 |  |
| "Bomb" by David Cussac Commentary: "Just a bomb." | "Time bomb" by Carlos P. Commentary: "..." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. | |
| Play | Caption |
 | Bomb exploding in the water. |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Author | Quotation |
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. | We have genuflected before the god of science only to find that it has given us the atomic bomb, producing fears and anxieties that science can never mitigate. |
J. Robert Oppenheimer | When you see something that is technically sweet, you go ahead and do it and you argue about what to do about it only after you have had your technical success. That is the way it was with the atomic bomb. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Author | Date | Quotation |
Winston S. Churchill | 1946 | It would nevertheless be wrong and imprudent to entrust the secret knowledge or experience of the atomic bomb, which the United States, Great Britain, and Canada now share, to the world organization, while it is still in its infancy. ("Iron Curtain" Speech) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Title | Author | Quote |
Grapes of Wrath | Steinbeck, John | This is the thing to bomb. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Business | Several people were killed on March 7 when a bomb linked to Uyghur separatists exploded aboard a bus in one of Beijing's busiest shopping districts. (references) | |
Civil Liberties | Zimbabwe | In 2000 a bomb exploded in an art gallery directly below the offices of The Daily News. (references) |
Colombia | On May 21, police bomb disposal experts defused a bomb packed into a pick-up truck outside of the offices of Voz. (references) | |
Yemen | A small bomb blasted a 12-foot hole in the wall of Christ Church in Aden on New Year's Day; there were no reported injuries. (references) | |
Economic History | Saudi Arabia | On May 2, 2001, an American doctor in Dammam was seriously injured in a letter bomb explosion. (references) |
Ireland | However, the British Government decision to hold elections for a negotiating body was seen as a step backwards, and in February 1996 the IRA officially ended its cease-fire with a bomb attack in London that killed two. (references) | |
Spain | The group has carried out numerous bombings against Spanish Government facilities and economic targets, including a car bomb assassination attempt on then-opposition leader Aznar in 1995, in which his armored car was destroyed but he was unhurt. (references) | |
Human Rights | Nepal | The bomb exploded, killing three persons. (references) |
Spain | A November 6 car bomb in Madrid caused 59 injuries. (references) | |
Spain | On July 10, an ETA car bomb killed a policeman in Madrid. (references) | |
Indigenous People | Bangladesh | A bomb exploded during the procession. (references) |
Minorities | United Kingdom | A blast bomb also was thrown at police seeking to protect the children. (references) |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | On March 12, a bomb destroyed a vehicle belonging to a Bosniak IDP who was visiting his brother in Prijedor. (references) | |
Political Economy | Russia | Government officials accused rebel factions of organizing and carrying out a series of bomb attacks throughout the country beginning in September 1999 and continuing into the year; hundreds of civilians were killed or injured. (references) |
Political Rights | Ukraine | Presidential candidate Yevhen Marchuk reported that police ordered a meeting with voters evacuated in Luhansk in August 1999, citing an anonymous bomb threat. (references) |
Bangladesh | Also in September, two bomb blasts killed at least 8 Awami League members and injured more than 100 others in the district of Bagerhat during an election rally. (references) | |
Travel | Sri Lanka | Bomb attacks remain the greatest terrorist hazard. (references) |
Turkey | The two most common drugs are Nembutal (tm), known on the street as sari bombasi (the yellow bomb) and benzodiazepine. (references) | |
Sri Lanka | In June 2000, the Minister for Industrial Development, his wife and 21 others were killed and over 60 others were injured in a bomb attack. (references) | |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | CORONATION, n. The ceremony of investing a sovereign with the outward and visible signs of his divine right to be blown skyhigh with a dynamite bomb. |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Speaker | Phrase(s) |
Dan Rather | In Jerusalem tonight, right at the dividing line between the Israeli west and the mostly Arab east Jerusalem, yet another suicide bombing. We had driven by only minutes before the bomb went off. |
Senator Joseph Biden | Well, what we should do is we should prevent the time bomb from blowing up by making a further commitment of U.S. forces in the region, expand the international force beyond Kabul. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Speaker | Term | Phrase(s) |
George W. Bush | 2001-2005 | Our soldiers, working with the Bosnian government, seized terrorists who were plotting to bomb our embassy. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| "Bomb" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 93.00% of the time. "Bomb" is used about 2,454 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 93% | 2,283 | 3,887 |
| Lexical Verb (infinitive) | 4.84% | 119 | 29,501 |
| Lexical Verb (base form) | 1.63% | 40 | 54,274 |
| Noun (proper) | 0.45% | 11 | 106,044 |
| Unclassified Items | 0.04% | 1 | 339,140 |
| Noun (common) | 0.04% | 1 | 339,140 |
| Total | 100.00% | 2,454 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
Expressions using "bomb": a bomb ♦ aerial bomb ♦ aerosol bomb ♦ antipersonnel bomb ♦ Atom bomb ♦ atomic bomb ♦ bomb along ♦ bomb attack ♦ bomb bay ♦ bomb blast ♦ bomb calorimeter ♦ bomb capacity ♦ bomb carpet ♦ Bomb chest ♦ bomb crater ♦ bomb disposal ♦ bomb disposal expert ♦ bomb disposal squad ♦ bomb disposal unit ♦ bomb door ♦ bomb fuse ♦ Bomb ketch ♦ Bomb lance ♦ bomb launcher ♦ bomb line ♦ bomb load ♦ bomb out ♦ bomb rack ♦ bomb raid ♦ bomb release line ♦ bomb release mechanism ♦ bomb release point ♦ bomb scare ♦ bomb shall ♦ bomb shelter ♦ bomb sighting systems ♦ bomb site ♦ bomb squad ♦ bomb thrower ♦ bomb twist ♦ bomb up ♦ Bomb vessel ♦ buzz bomb ♦ candle bomb ♦ car bomb ♦ cherry bomb ♦ cluster bomb ♦ cluster bomb unit ♦ cobalt bomb ♦ demolition bomb ♦ depth bomb ♦ drop a bomb ♦ electromagnetic bomb ♦ fission bomb ♦ flash bomb ♦ flying bomb ♦ fork bomb ♦ fragmentation bomb ♦ fusion bomb ♦ gas bomb ♦ gasoline bomb ♦ glider bomb ♦ h bomb ♦ high bomb ♦ hydrogen bomb ♦ illuminating bomb ♦ incendiary bomb ♦ letter bomb ♦ logic bomb ♦ mail bomb ♦ megaton bomb ♦ napalm bomb ♦ neutron bomb ♦ nuclear bomb ♦ parcel bomb ♦ personnel bomb ♦ petrol bomb ♦ photoflash bomb ♦ pipe bomb ♦ plastic bomb ♦ plutonium bomb ♦ robot bomb ♦ rocket bomb ♦ sex bomb ♦ smoke bomb ♦ sofar bomb ♦ stench bomb ♦ stink bomb ♦ talk bomb ♦ tear bomb ♦ thermonuclear bomb ♦ thermonuclear hydrogen bomb ♦ time bomb ♦ unexploded bomb ♦ volcanic bomb ♦ water bomb. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "bomb": bomb-aimer, bomb-aimers, bomb-aiming, bomb-attack, bomb-attacks, bomb-bay, bomb-blast, bomb-blitzed, bomb-builder, bomb-building, bomb-burst, bomb-bursts, bomb-carrier, bomb-carriers, bomb-carrying, bomb-chuckers, bomb-collectors, bomb-crater, bomb-craters, bomb-damaged, bomb-destroyed, bomb-detecting, bomb-display, bomb-disposal, bomb-fragments, bomb-grade, bomb-happy, bomb-hit, bomb-hoax, bomb-ketches, bomb-laden, bomb-less, bomb-maker, bomb-making, bomb-plot, bomb-proof, bomb-proofed, bomb-proofing, bomb-ravaged, bomb-scare, bomb-shaped, bomb-shattered, bomb-shell, bomb-shelter, bomb-site, bomb-sites, bomb-skip, bomb-store, bomb-strike, bomb-threat, bomb-torn, bomb-vessels, bomb-victim. | |
Ending with "bomb": car-bomb, stink-bomb, time-bomb. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day | Expression | Frequency per Day |
bomb | 1,206 | bomb sparkler | 117 |
atomic bomb | 1,176 | h bomb | 106 |
bomb dinky | 861 | dirty bomb | 101 |
bomb tsunami | 494 | atomic bomb hiroshima | 96 |
nuclear bomb | 369 | a bomb | 89 |
atom bomb | 292 | the bomb | 87 |
smoke bomb | 288 | 103.5 bomb | 79 |
cherry bomb | 280 | bomb dancer sex | 78 |
hydrogen bomb | 243 | neutron bomb | 76 |
atomic bomb picture | 237 | a bomb picture | 75 |
bomb shell | 222 | nuclear bomb picture | 72 |
blonde bomb shell | 219 | 102.7 bomb da | 71 |
sex bomb | 194 | bomb squad | 68 |
stink bomb | 192 | make a cherry bomb | 63 |
bomb lyrics tsunami | 136 | a bomb hiroshima | 63 |
bomb shelter | 134 | bomb over baghdad | 57 |
home made bomb | 132 | smart bomb | 57 |
bath bomb | 131 | bomb saddam time | 56 |
t bomb | 130 | da bomb | 56 |
email bomb | 127 | bomb jizz | 50 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | Translations for "bomb"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Afrikaans | atoombom (atom bomb), A-bom (atom bomb). (various references) | |
Albanian | bombardoj (bombard, glide-bomb, pelt, ply, pound, prang, shell, zap), bombë (apple, billycock, canister, egg, smasher). (various references) | |
Arabic | قنبلة (grenade), قنبلة (bombshell, pellet), قذيفة (grenade, missile, projectile, projection, rocket, shell), قذف بالقنابل (bombarding, bombardment, bombing), وعاء للغازات المضغوطة, عبوه ناسفة. (various references) | |
Basque | bonba. (various references) | |
Bulgarian | бомбардирам (bombard, pound), бомба (bombshell, whiz). (various references) | |
Chinese | 轟炸 , 炸彈 , 炸弹 (A-bomb). (various references) | |
Czech | bombardovat (bombard, pelt), bomba (cracker, slog), puma (bombshell, cougar, puma), granát (garnet, grenade, shell). (various references) | |
Danish | bombe. (various references) | |
Dutch | bombarderen (bombard), bom (build, bung, bung(California), cellar plug(California), operate and maintain, shive). (various references) | |
Esperanto | bombo, bombi. (various references) | |
Farsi | مخزن (Cache, Depository, Fountain, Magazine, Repertory, Repository, Reservoir, Stank, Storage, Store, Storehouse, Sump, Tank, Thesaurus, Warehouse), نارنجک (Canister, Grenade), بمباران کردن (Bombard), بمب (Bombshell). (various references) | |
Finnish | pommi (bombshell). (various references) | |
French | bombe (bombshell), bombardement (bombardment, bombing). (various references) | |
German | bombe (bombshell, cracker), bombardieren (batter, bombard, pelt, strafe). (various references) | |
Greek | βόμβα (shell). (various references) | |
Hebrew | להפציץ (bombard, strafe), פצצה (bombshell, smasher). (various references) | |
Hungarian | bomba. (various references) | |
Icelandic | sprengja, sprengikúla. (various references) | |
Indonesian | bom, membom (bombard, see: bom), meledakkan bom. (various references) | |
Irish | buama. (various references) | |
Italian | bomba (bombshell). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 爆弾. (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | ボム , ばくれつだん (bombshell), ばくだん. (various references) | |
Korean | 폭탄 (A-bomb). (various references) | |
Manx | skeayley bleastanyn, shligganaghey (bombard), shliggan (shell), bleaystaney (shell), bleaystan (shell). (various references) | |
Norwegian | bombe. (various references) | |
Occitan | bomba. (various references) | |
Papiamen | bòm (bottom, foundation, ground). (various references) | |
Pig Latin | ombbay.(various references) | |
Polish | bomba. (various references) | |
Portuguese | bomba (pump, shell). (various references) | |
Romanian | bombarda (beset, besiege, blitz, bombard, cannonade, flood, shell, strafe), bombå, bombã (bombshell, crib, dive, egg, jerry shop, pot house, shell). (various references) | |
Russian | бомба (bombshell). (various references) | |
Scottish | boma (a bomb). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | bombardovati (bombard, pound), bomba (squelcher), uspeh (accomplishment, advance, notch, run, success), pretrpeti neuspeh (fail, fall, flop). (various references) | |
Spanish | bomba (bombshell, candle bomb, crackerjack, forcer, pump, thunderbolt). (various references) | |
Swahili | bomu, kombora. (various references) | |
Swedish | bomb (bomba, bombshell). (various references) | |
Thai | ทิ้งระเบิดทำลาย, ระเบิด (dynamite, dynamiter, erupt). (various references) | |
Turkish | bombalamak (batter, bombard, coventrize, prang, saturate, shell, strafe), bomba (egg, shell). (various references) | |
Turkmen | bombalamak. (various references) | |
Ukrainian | ручна граната (hand grenade, pineapple), обприскувач (spray, syringe), міна (mine, moldy, mouldy), бомбардувати (blitz, bombard), бомба (bomb-shell). (various references) | |
Vietnamese | gây sự chấn động lớn. (various references) | |
Welsh | bom. (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Greek | 700 BCE-300 CE | bombos. (various references) |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | bombus. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "bomb": bombard, bombarded, bombardier, bombardiers, bombarding, bombardment, bombardments, bombardon, bombardons, bombards, bombast, bombastic, bombastically, bombasts, bombax, bombazine, bombazines, bombe, bombed, bomber, bombers, bombes, bombesin, bombesins, bombinate, bombinated, bombinates, bombinating, bombination, bombinations, bombing, bombings, bombload, bombloads, bombproof, bombs, bombshell, bombshells, bombsight, bombsights, bombycid, bombycids, bombyx, bombyxes. (additional references) | |
Words ending with "bomb": divebomb, firebomb, letterbomb, mailbomb, superbomb. (additional references) | |
Words containing "bomb": cabomba, cabombas, divebombed, divebombing, divebombs, firebombed, firebombing, firebombs, letterbombs, mailbombed, mailbombing, mailbombs, superbomber, superbombers, superbombs. (additional references) | |
| |
"Bomb" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: bambe, bamby, bbm, bcm, Bembe, Bembo, Bhoma, Bimbim, bimm, Biumba, bmoc, Boab, bobb, bodb, bolb, bom, boma, Bomba, bombix, bombo, bomby, Bombyx, bome, Bomi, Bomm, bomr, booma, boomn, Botb, boyb, boym, bumb, bumf, i, Mbombo, momb, ombu, romb. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "bomb" (pronounced bÄ"m) |
| 3 | b Ä" m | balm, embalm. |
| 2 | -Ä" m | aplomb, becalm, Mom, Nom, palm, pogrom, prom, calm, Dom, Halm, Malm, rom, salaam, som, Tom, Yom. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "b-b-m-o" | |
-1 letter: bob, mob. | |
-2 letters: bo, mo, om. | |
| Words containing the letters "b-b-m-o" | |
+1 letter: bimbo, bombe, bombs. | |
+2 letters: bamboo, bimbos, bombax, bombed, bomber, bombes, bombyx, mobbed, mobber. | |
+3 letters: bambino, bamboos, bimboes, bombard, bombast, bombers, bombing, boombox, bumboat, cabomba, jibboom, mobbers, mobbing, mobbish. | |
+4 letters: bambinos, bombards, bombasts, bombesin, bombings, bombload, bombycid, bombyxes, bumboats, buncombe, cabombas, demobbed, divebomb, firebomb, jibbooms, lobbyism, mailbomb, nabobism, snobbism. | |
+5 letters: bamboozle, beachcomb, bombarded, bombardon, bombastic, bombazine, bombesins, bombinate, bombloads, bombproof, bombshell, bombsight, bombycids, boomboxes, broomball, buncombes, demobbing, divebombs, firebombs, lobbyisms, mailbombs, nabobisms, snobbisms, superbomb. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Slideshow 7. Images: Photo Album 8. Images: Digital Art | 9. Sounds 10. Quotations: Familiar 11. Quotations: Historic 12. Quotations: Fiction | 13. Quotations: Non-fiction 14. Quotations: Spoken 15. Quotations: Speeches 16. Usage Frequency | 17. Expressions 18. Expressions: Internet 19. Translations: Modern 20. Translations: Ancient | 21. Abbreviations 22. Acronyms 23. Derivations 24. Rhymes | 25. Anagrams 26. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
