woolly bear

English
Banded woolly bear (Pyrrharctia isabella)

Alternative forms

Noun

woolly bear (plural woolly bears)

  1. (colloquial) A hairy caterpillar.
  2. Specifically, the larva of a moth of the family Arctiidae.
  3. (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

Translations
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