The Linguistic Origins of the Phrase Molotov Cocktail

 

Figure 1: Computer Graphic of a Molotov Cocktail

 

You may have heard the phrase “Molotov cocktail” thrown around quite a lot recently, specifically in relation to Russian aggression against Ukraine.  The phrase references inexpensive, crude, but highly effective bottle bombs (Figure 1).  A glass bottle filled with a combustible liquid, typically gasoline based, and topped with a cloth wick have been popularly used throughout formal and informal (e.g., terrorist acts, protests, etc.) for decades, but the exact origins of this technology have been largely forgotten.  This blog post will discuss the history, specifically the linguistic origins, of this incendiary device.

 

The phrase “Molotov cocktail” was first seen in print in the early 1940s.  British news correspondent Reginald Oliver Gilling Urch is credited as being the first journalist to use the phrase in print, but it originally came from Finnish military slang.  The Finns created a variety of slang during the Winter War (1939-1940), a conflict wherein Russia attempted to annex Finland by force in order to shore up their military advantage during the Second World War.  During the conflict the Minister of Foreign Affairs, V. M. Molotov, claimed that the air raids over Finland were peaceful, humanitarian missions wherein food and other necessities were being dropped down to Finnish citizens.  The reality was that instead of food bombs were being deployed, resulting in Finn’s associating various negative aspects of aggression with Molotov.  Phrases such as “Molotov’s Olympics”, “Molotov’s coffins”, and “Molotov’s weather” were coined to reference the rush to bomb shelters, Soviet tanks, and air raids (respectively). 

 

The phrase “Molotov cocktail” was created to reference the inexpensive bottle bombs that the Finish military used to destroy “Molotov coffins”/Soviet tanks.  The flawed design of these tanks put the fuel tanks near the top of the vehicle, allowing for the combustible bottle bombs to easily penetrate the tank’s exterior and cause a massive explosion.  This efficient and inexpensive bottle bomb allowed the Finish military to destroy hundreds of Soviet tanks and is credited with enabling them to successfully defend their nation.  These incendiary devices, however, were not initially created by the Fins but may have been created by opposition forces during the Spanish Civil War, a few years prior.  Reports claim that the opposition forces used crude bottle bombs to attack and fend off the Fascist forces under Francisco Franco’s control, but as the opposition forces were eventually crushed their efforts were forgotten.  The success of the Finish military and the popular use of the phrase “Molotov cocktail” among British and United Kingdom news outlets, however, may be why the phrase perseveres today.  The continued use of bottle bombs also enabled the phrase to stick.  

 

Works Cited

Landau, David. "David Landau's Homepage." 2014. https://www.modeemi.fi. Electronic. 9 March 2022.

Trotter, William. "History of the Molotov Cocktail." Trotter, William. Frozen Hell: The Russo-Finnish Winter War of 1939-1940. Chapel Hill: Algonquin Books, 1991. Print.

Vitaliev, Vitali. "Manchester Conference 'The Biggest of Its Kind'." Engineering & Technology Magazine October 2013: 28. Document.