infernal machine

noun

1. a concealed or disguised explosive device intended to destroy life or property.

infernal machine

noun

1. archaic.
   a usually disguised explosive device or booby trap

Word History and Origins

Origin of infernal machine¹

First recorded in 1800–10

Example Sentences

While Marvel can seem “like this infernal machine that grinds on,” Bettany says, the projects are, in his experience, “incredibly collaborative.”

From Washington Post

The infernal machine will continue largely unstopped because there is a huge market for its poison.

From Salon

District Court Judge Roger T. Benitez included dueling pistols, muskets, trick “cane guns” and a custom-made instrument of mass murder known as “the infernal machine.”

From New York Times

The brilliant “elephant,” lumbering and impressive like its African namesake, is an infernal machine.

From Los Angeles Times

Aycock’s strangely infernal machine upends historical associations between weaving and delicate women’s work, inserting monumental sculpture into the postindustrial dialogue.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• powder keg