Hand grenade

A hand grenade is any small bomb that can be thrown by hand. A variety of hand grenades exist, the most common being explosive grenades designed to detonate after impact or after a set amount of time.

Grenadiers were originally soldiers who specialized in throwing grenades.

Etymology

The word "grenade" derives from the French word for a "small explosive shell". Its first use in English dates from the 1590s. It is likely derived from Old French pomegranate (influenced by Spanish granada), so called because the many-seeded fruit suggested the powder-filled, fragmenting bomb, or from similarity of shape.

History

Early grenades

Rudimentary incendiary grenades appeared in the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire, not long after the reign of Leo III (717-741). Byzantine soldiers learned that Greek fire, a Byzantine invention of the previous century, could not only be thrown by flamethrowers at the enemy, but also in stone and ceramic jars. Later, glass containers were employed. The use of Greek fire spread to Muslim armies in the Near East, from where it reached China by the 10th century.

Hand Grenade (cocktail)

The specialty cocktail drink known as the Hand Grenade is sold frozen or on-the-rocks exclusively by 721 Bourbon, Inc. through five licensed nightclub bars in the New Orleans French Quarter. Pam Fortner and Earl Bernhardt, owners of the Tropical Isle bar founded during the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition, created the melon-flavored Hand Grenade as their signature cocktail. Since 1987, the federally registered trademark "Hand Grenade" has been used to uniquely identify the cocktail and its packaging. Since January 1992, the Hand Grenade has been served in a green, translucent, plastic yard glass container with a bulbous, textured base shaped like an oversized hand grenade. The grenade has anthropomorphic features, including black oval eyes and an upturned smile. Printed in bold, black lettering, the legend extends vertically down the neck, with the cocktail name and a reference to its high alcohol content: "Hand Grenade® New Orleans Most Powerful Drink". Consumers purchasing Hand Grenade cocktails in these containers receive discounts on refills at the licensed establishments. In January 2012, a lower-calorie "Skinny Hand Grenade" was announced.