Smoke grenade

A British L83A1 smoke grenade, manufactured in May 2008. This grenade has already been used.

A smoke grenade is a canister-type grenade used as a signaling device, target or landing zone marking device, or as a screening device for unit movements.[1][2]

Smoke grenades are generally more complex and emit a far larger amount of smoke than smoke bombs, which are a type of firework typically started with an external fuse rather than a pin. Smoke grenades often cost around US$40 compared to smoke bombs, which can often cost just a few cents. The phrase "to smoke", meaning to fake, bluff, or beat around the bush, comes from the military usage of smoke grenades to obscure and conceal movement;[citation needed] similarly, "pop smoke", derived from a common way of ordering the use of smoke grenades, is used as a slang term for quickly leaving a place.[3]

  1. ^ BACTEC International Limited. "Potential Sources of Allied UXO" (PDF). WSP UK Limited. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 June 2020. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  2. ^ "M18 Smoke Hand Grenade". Project Manager Close Combat Systems. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  3. ^ Coupe, Georgina (13 December 2019). "Guide To Understanding Military Jargon And Acronyms". Forces Network. Retrieved 25 November 2022.