Prince Rupert's drop
noun
A teardrop-shaped bubble of glass with a long, sharp tail, made by rapidly cooling a drop of molten glass in water, which is very strong under pressure at the head, but disintegrates explosively when the tail is broken or the surface scratched. Also figurative. Now historical.
Origin
Late 17th century; earliest use found in The London Gazette.
- mirror picture
- mirror plate
- mirror scale
- mirror shades
- mirror site
- mirror stage
- mirror-symmetric
- mirror-symmetrical
- mirror symmetry
- mirror tile
- mirror vision
- mirror-wall
- mirror-work
- mirror-write
- mirror-writer
- mirror writing
- mirrory
- mirth
- mirthful
- mirthfully
- mirthfulness
- mirthless
- mirthlessly
- mirthlessness
- mirthquake