What is an Absolute Dud?
In military terms, an absolute dud is a nuclear weapon which fails to detonate or does not explode when it lands on a target. Despite the fact that the weapon appears to be nonfunctional, it can still be extremely dangerous, requiring the attention of people who are trained in the disposal of unexploded ordinance. More generally, the term “dud” is used to describe any type of failed weapon, and civilians have picked up the term as well, describing an ignominious failure as an “absolute dud.” The implication is often that the failure is also expensive, as nuclear weapons take a long time to develop and build, and processing unexploded weapons properly is also costly. The origins of the word “dud” have been traced back to the 1300s, when the word was first used to describe a cloak. The word evolved to mean “ragged or dirty” clothing, and by the 1800s, it was used to refer to things that were useless and sometimes expensive as well. “Dud” in reference to weapons emerged in the First World
In military terms, an absolute dud is a nuclear weapon which fails to detonate or does not explode when it lands on a target. Despite the fact that the weapon appears to be nonfunctional, it can still be extremely dangerous, requiring the attention of people who are trained in the disposal of unexploded ordinance. More generally, the term “dud†is used to describe any type of failed weapon, and civilians have picked up the term as well, describing an ignominious failure as an “absolute dud.” The implication is often that the failure is also expensive, as nuclear weapons take a long time to develop and build, and processing unexploded weapons properly is also costly. The origins of the word “dud†have been traced back to the 1300s, when the word was first used to describe a cloak. The word evolved to mean “ragged or dirty†clothing, and by the 1800s, it was used to refer to things that were useless and sometimes expensive as well. “Dud†in reference to weapons emerged in the
