Rupert's drop

Named after Prince Rupert of the Rhine, nephew of Charles I, who brought them to England in 1660.

Rupert's drop (plural Rupert's drops)

1. A glass bead created by dripping molten glass into cold water so it solidifies into a tadpole shape with a very tough head but a long fragile tail which, if damaged, causes the bead to disintegrate explosively.

   Synonyms: Dutch tear, glass tear, Prince Rupert's drop, Prince Rupert's tear, Prince Rupert's tear, Rupert's tear

• “Rupert's drop”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.