revolver
(rɪˈvɒlvə(r))
[f. revolve v. + -er.]
1. a. A pistol provided with mechanism by which a set of loaded barrels, or (more usually) of cartridge-chambers, is revolved and presented in succession before the hammer, so as to admit of the rapid discharge of several shots without reloading.
| 1835 Colt in Abridgm. Patent Specif., Fire-arms (1859) 84. 1844 Dickens Mart. Chuz. xxxiii, Ripper, Tickler, and the revolvers, all ready for action on the shortest notice. 1848 A. Sedgwick in Life & Lett. (1890) II. 143 Bring your patent revolvers with you to take care of Lady H. 1861 T. L. Peacock Gryll G. 160 See the complications and refinements in modes of destruction—in revolvers and rifles. 1887 Besant & Rice Gold. Butterfly Prol. 1 If a search had been made, a revolver would have been found. |
b. attrib. and
Comb., as
revolver cartridge,
revolver grip,
revolver pistol,
revolver range,
revolver shooting,
revolver shot,
revolver target;
revolver-like adj.;
revolver camera (see
quot.).
| 1890 Woodbury Encycl. Photogr., Revolver Camera, a small instantaneous camera made in the form of a revolver. |
| 1885 Sat. Rev. 17 Jan. 74/1 Revolver-carrying is fast becoming..a practice here. |
| 1879 Cassell's Techn. Educ. I. 272/2 The old skin or paper revolver cartridge, which was in vogue until a few years ago. |
| 1971 I. Butykai tr. L{uacu}kovich's Electric Foil Fencing i. 20 Most foilists seem to prefer the revolver grip. |
| 1925 T. Dreiser Amer. Tragedy (1926) II. iii. xix. 228 His voice..as opposed to Mason's revolver-like ‘Excused!’ |
| 1866 J. Macgregor Thousand Miles in Rob Roy Canoe ii. 35 So my friend capped his revolver-pistol, and I acted as a pointer dog. |
| ? 1891 W. S. Churchill Let. in R. S. Churchill Winston S. Churchill (1967) I. Compan. i. v. 262, I went to the ‘Revolver Range’ & shot 12 shots with a full sized weapon. |
| 1918 W. Owen Let. 21 June (1967) 559 Today [I] have been Revolver Shooting. |
| a 1861 T. Winthrop John Brent (1862) xix. 208 They were close to us, within easy revolver shot. 1887 Pall Mall G. 23 Feb., Several revolver shots were fired at them. |
| 1918 W. Owen Let. 24 June (1967) 560 The hideous faces of the Advancing Revolver Targets I fired at last week. |
2. A revolving furnace. Also
attrib.| 1879 Lock Spon's Encycl. i. 292 The ‘revolvers’ bid fair..to supersede the old hand furnaces. 1880 J. Lomas Alkali Trade 4 A turn-out of at least 130 tons of salt-cake per week, with eight or nine hand-ball furnaces, or one revolver. 1880 Rep. Alkali Acts (1881) 63 On one occasion the escape of HCL from the Revolver chimney was high. |
3. In miscellaneous uses: (see
quots.).
| 1888 Lockwood's Dict. Mech. Terms 286 Revolvers, rotary pistons. 1899 tr. Jaksch's Clinical Diagnosis (ed. 4) x. 436 The tube of the microscope is provided with a ‘revolver’ or ‘nose-piece’, to which lenses of different magnifying powers are fixed. |
Hence
reˈvolverer, one who uses a revolver;
reˈvolvered a., provided with a revolver or revolvers;
reˈvolvering vbl. n.| 1885 Sat. Rev. 17 Jan. 74/1 The revolverer never reflects; he is moved by his own fears. 1889 Ibid. 23 Mar. 335/1 ‘Revolvering’..is nearly as great a curse of the present moment as democracy or anti-religious maundering. 1901 Pall Mall Gaz. 6 Mar. 1 The revolvered footman..is not quite so grotesque as the revolvered Protestant lecturer. 1922 Blackw. Mag. Jan. 123/1 Whom should he see but his American friend the casket king, still picturesque and revolvered, on his way to the station bar. 1963 [see leather-jacket 5]. |