Gravel Gertie

noun

A chamber, with a roof covered by a deep pile of gravel, within which nuclear warheads may be maintained; in the event of a (non-nuclear) explosion, the roof is weakened and the gravel falls and prevents the escape of nuclear material

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Meanings

nounGravel Gertie (plural Gravel Gerties)

plural Gravel Gerties

  1. A chamber, with a roof covered by a deep pile of gravel, within which nuclear warheads may be maintained; in the event of a (non-nuclear) explosion, the roof is weakened and the gravel falls and prevents the escape of nuclear material

Origin

From a character in the Dick Tracy comic strip.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Gravel Gertie. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Gravel%20Gertie

MLA

“Gravel Gertie.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Gravel%20Gertie. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Gravel Gertie,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Gravel%20Gertie.

Source: Gravel Gertie on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.