A portable weapon that fires explosive projectiles, especially a handheld anti-tank gun used by soldiers.
Named after 'bazooka,' a musical instrument invented by comedian Bob Burns that resembled plumbing pipes. American soldiers named the new weapon after this homemade instrument because of its similar tubular appearance.
The bazooka got its funny name because an American radio comedian named Bob Burns invented a musical instrument made from pipes and called it a 'bazooka'—when soldiers saw the new anti-tank gun in WWII, its resemblance to that silly instrument made them laugh and the name stuck forever.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.