History Main / CuteAsABouncingBetty

* ''Literature/TheLostFleet''': While liberating a prisoner-of-war camp in the fifth book, enemy stealth commandos carrying 'hupnums' are detected approaching. When Captain John Geary asks for elaboration, while musing to himself that they sound like a cute fairy tale creature, he is informed that its an acronym for [=HUman Portable NUclear Munitions.=]

**

* ''Manga/GunslingerGirl''. Cyborg ChildSoldier Triela does hand-to-hand combat with the Italian GIS special forces, who dub her Lepretto (roughly "bunny") after a child's doll that shares her TwinTails.

* And British tanks in the early part of WWII had some pretty cute names, too. How about the "Valentine"[[note]]The tank was approved for mass production on February 14th, 1940. The name was inevitable.[[/note]] (because production started on Feb 14th) or the "Matilda" (which depending on which story you believe, was either named from a cartoon duck popular at the time or was [[TranslationTrainWreck actually not at all]] German for "victory")[[note]]An alternative school of thought concerning the name depended on a degree of [[VieweraAreGeniuses informed understanding]]. Two mediaeval Queens of England who had the misfortune to be married to fairly ineffectual Kings lost patience with their spouses and took up arms - in person - to fight for the men they were married to, and see off usurpers. It was said, justly, about both Queen Matildas that each was three times the King her husband turned out to be. One Queen Matilda kept a civil war going for nearly thirty years, out of sheer dogged persistence and bloody-mindedness. If this explains the naming of the tank - a mediaeval Queen Matilda who was formidable in full battle armour - it explains much.[[/note]]

* And British tanks in the early part of WWII had some pretty cute names, too. How about the "Valentine" (because production started on Feb 14th) or the "Matilda" (which depending on which story you believe, was either named from a cartoon duck popular at the time or was [[TranslationTrainWreck actually not at all]] German for "victory")
** One of the first tanks imported in volume from the USA was initially called "The Honey" because it was a delight to drive and maintain. British generals fretted that having two main battle tanks with names like ''Valentine'' and ''Honey'' suggested the men weren't getting the idea about it being a war.[[note]]After some thought, the British generals initiated a system where American tanks were named after cavalry generals of the American Civil War (if they were the smaller faster light tanks) or infantry generals (if they were the heavier infantry tanks). Thus the Honey became the ''General Stuart'', closely followed by the Lee, Grant and Sherman. This naming principle so impressed American authorities that it initiated the naming ssytem for American tanks that persists today.[[/note]]

* ''Franchise/DevilMayCry 3'''s "Kalina Ann" rocket launcher, used by Lady. She specifically named it after her mother, who was [[spoiler:killed by her father Arkham for a demonic ritual of some sort]].

* L'Arc-en-ciel is French for Rainbow. It is also the name of the ''Arthra's'' WaveMotionGun in the ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAs''.

* Anime/GirlsUndPanzer. Katyusha usually calls her team's [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kliment_Voroshilov_tank#Models KV-2]] (a 152mm assault howitzer in the body of a heavy tank) "[=KV=]-[[UsefulNotes/JapaneseHonorifics tan]]". Which, accounting for Japanese translation convention, is a pretty accurate depiction of how the Russians name their equipment (see the RealLife notes for Russian Katyushas below).

** Nowadays, we call that "[[Literature/{{Discworld}} Dwarf Bread]]" or ''[[Literature/LordOfTheRings cram]].''

** During UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, American naming practice was to assign enemy fighters with male names (the Mitsubishi A6M Zero was officially called the "Zeke") while most other aircraft were given female names (the Aichi D3A dive bomber was known as "Val")

** "Shmel" is (also?) [[http://world.guns.ru/grenade/gl46-e.htm something else altogether]]. Namely, a launcher of a fuel-air explosive grenade. That is, it's not tank-killing, but it creates a three-metre exploding cloud that takes out everyone in a room, regardless of their personal armor. And a wall or two.
** "[[http://world.guns.ru/grenade/gl36-e.htm Canary]]" is a flashless and noiseless underbarrel grenade launcher.

* The most portable nuclear weapon system ever invented, the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davy_Crockett_%28nuclear_device%29 Davy Crockett]].

* The TropeNamer is the "Bouncing Betty". Wiki/TheOtherWiki [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-mine should bring you up to speed]]...

** [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_boy Little Boy]] and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fat_Man Fat Man]], the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki respectively. The very first bomb, tested at Alamogordo, was simply called "The Gadget".

** One of the first tanks imported in volume from the USA was initially called "The Honey" because it was a delight to drive and maintain. British generals fretted that having two main battle tanks with names like ''Valentine'' and ''Honey'' suggested the men weren't getting the idea about it being a war. [[note]]After some thought, the British generals initiated a system where American tanks were named after cavalry generals of the American Civil War (if they were the smaller faster light tanks) or infantry generals (if they were the heavier infantry tanks). Thus the Honey became the ''General Stuart'', closely followed by the Lee, Grant and Sherman. This naming principle so impressed American authorities that it initiated the naming ssytem for American tanks that persists today.[[/note]]

* ''Molotov Bread Basket'' for the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molotov_bread_basket Soviet WWII cluster bomb]]. The Soviets, who firebombed Helsinki in 1939, [[BlatantLies claimed to just drop bread to the starving Helsinki children]].
** The Finns gave name to [[TakeThat "a drink to go with the main course"]] - [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molotov_cocktail Molotov Cocktail]]

* ''Literature/TheLostFleet''': While liberating a prisoner-of-war camp in the fifth book, enemy stealth commandos carrying 'hupnums' are detected approaching. When Captain John Geary asks for elaboration, while musing to himself that they sound like a cute fairy tale creature, he is informed that its an acronym for HUman Portable NUclear Munitions.

* The [=BLU-82=] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BLU-82 Daisy Cutter]] doesn't sound like much, but it was often used during the UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar to create instant helicopter landing zones in the jungle.

* From ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'', Heavy's Sasha and Natascha, which are two mini-guns. Though it's averted with his other big guns: the [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar Brass Beast]], the [[VideoGame/PokerNightAtTheInventory Iron Curtain]], and the [[DamnItFeelsGoodToBeAGangster Tomislav]].

* The US famously built and comissioned over [[ZergRush 150 aircraft carriers]] during WorldWarII, while an impressive number of these were full-sized fleet carriers, the lion's share were small, cheap, and slow Escort Carriers. Given their mass produced nature and ubiquitousness, their nicknames included "Jeep Carriers", after the small all-terrain utility truck used by the Army.

** During WorldWarII, American naming practice was to assign enemy fighters with male names (the Mitsubishi A6M Zero was officially called the "Zeke") while most other aircraft were given female names (the Aichi D3A dive bomber was known as "Val")

* ''Film/{{Hellboy}} II: The Golden Army'' and [[{{BFG}} Big Baby.]] It's a big revolver. As in it's so big Hellboy has to hold it in his Right Hand of Doom. It also shoots mini rockets that say "Suck on This" and the grip looks like it was made from a rifle or shotgun butt.

* ''Film/{{Hellboy}}'' and [[{{BFG}} Big Baby.]]

* The TropeNamer is the "Bouncing Betty". TheOtherWiki [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-mine should bring you up to speed]]...

** There is a very large medieval bombard known as Mons Meg which is kept at Edinburgh Castle. Mons refers to the location of one of the early testing sites; TheOtherWiki is not entirely sure where the name Meg came from.

* Anime/GirlsUndPanzer. Katyusha usually calls her team's [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kliment_Voroshilov_tank#Models KV-2]] (a 152mm assault howitzer in the body of a heavy tank) "[=KV=]-[[UsefulNotes/JapaneseHonorifics tan]]".

* In Israel, it's interesting that almost all military slang has to do with farming and agriculture. This may be attributed to the fact that, while [[BadassIsraeli Israelis are battle-hardened by circumstances]], the traditional Zionist ideal has always been a peaceful agrarian existence.

*** In World War 2, sailors of the German ''Kriegsmarine'' referred to torpedoes as ''Aale'' ("eels").

* ''Film/{{Predator}}'' has [[JesseVentura Blain]]'s [[GatlingGood Minigun]], "Old Painless."