holy hand grenade

noun

A fictional weapon, usually gilded with gold and adorned with Christian symbolism such as crosses, which is a much more powerful version of a standard hand grenade or explosive.

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Meanings

nounholy hand grenade (plural holy hand grenades)

plural holy hand grenades

  1. video gamesA fictional weapon, usually gilded with gold and adorned with Christian symbolism such as crosses, which is a much more powerful version of a standard hand grenade or explosive.
  2. InternethumorousA globus cruciger.

Origin

A reference to the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch, a fictional weapon featured in the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The weapon is a satirical interpretation of a globus cruciger (specifically, the Sovereign's Orb), hence Sense 2. The popularity of holy hand grenades as video game items is largely attributed to the Worms series.

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Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

“holy hand grenade.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/holy%20hand%20grenade. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

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

Source: holy hand grenade on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.