Big Bertha

noun

, Informal.

1. a large, long-range German cannon used during World War I.

Big Bertha

noun

1. any of three large German guns of World War I used to bombard Paris

Word History and Origins

Origin of Big Bertha¹

C20: approximate translation of German dicke Bertha : fat Bertha; named after Bertha Krupp, at whose works in Essen a very effective 42 cm mortar was made

Example Sentences

“It’s Russian roulette, or it’s the Big Bertha,” Bruno Retailleau, a top senator with the conservative Republican party, said last week to sum up the dilemma, referring to Germany’s famous World War I-era howitzer.

From New York Times

Colin L. Powell, the former secretary of state and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staff, recalled being sent to Germany in 1958 as a young platoon leader, where his primary responsibility was tending to what he described in his memoir as “a 280-millimeter atomic cannon carried on twin truck-tractors, looking like a World War I Big Bertha.”

From New York Times

They’re constructed from recycled stainless steel in sizes with catchy names: Big Bertha at 40 ounces, Grace at 27 ounces and the Firecracker at 18 ounces.

From Seattle Times

His sport is not one where you saunter to a batter’s box to swing a Louisville Slugger or walk to a tee box to swing a Big Bertha.

From Los Angeles Times

Green sea turtles can grow to hundreds of pounds, and the bigger ones — coined “Big Bertha” — need two volunteers to handle.

From Washington Post

Related Words

• howitzer
• mortar
• ordnance