woolly bear
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English
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]Noun
[edit]woolly bear (plural woolly bears)
- (colloquial) A hairy caterpillar.
- Specifically, the larva of a moth of the family Arctiidae.
- (military slang, historical) An explosive shell that gives out dense smoke when it bursts.
- 1929, Frederic Manning, The Middle Parts of Fortune, Vintage, published 2014, page 236:
- As Bourne came out, he could see shells exploding by the dump, with some shrapnel bursting, woolly-bears they called them, overhead.
- 2000, Harold A Skaarup, Whiz Bangs and Woolly Bears, page 12:
- ‘A Woolly Bear was used for demolition, and could be compared with our 5.9's. It burst on impact, made a big hole and left a tremendous cloud of black smoke.’
Synonyms
[edit]Translations
[edit]hairy caterpillar
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larva of a moth of the family Arctiidae
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