Molotov cocktail

[ܒmälǝܖtôf ܒkäkܖtāl; ܒmôlǝ-; -ܖtôv]

ˈmälǝܖtôf ˈkäkܖtāl; ˈmôlǝ-; -ܖtôv a crude incendiary device typically consisting of a bottle filled with flammable liquid such as gasoline and stuffed with a rag, lighted, and thrown, often in street fighting.

Possibly first used by Loyalists in the Spanish Civil War, the production of similar grenades was organized by Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov during World War II. Molotov cocktails were used against tanks; the burning gasoline would heat the tank and drive out the crew for killing or capture.

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