ˈrifle-gun Now arch. exc. U.S. dial.
Also rifle gun.
[f. rifle n.3 1.]
= rifle n.3 2. Also attrib.
| 1776 Ann. Reg. 148 Some experiments were tried at Woolwich..with a rifle gun upon a new construction. 1814 Scott Diary 20 Aug. in Lockhart, I saw a pair of large eagles, and if I had had the rifle-gun might have had a shot. 1868 U.S. Rep. Munitions War 151 We have no desire to decry improvements, or to undervalue heavy rifle-guns. 1890 Henty With Lee in Virginia 105 The grand army numbered 55,000 men, with..49 rifle-guns. 1913 H. Kephart Our Southern Highlanders xiii. 286 Everywhere in the mountains we hear of biscuit-bread,..rifle-gun, rock-clift, [etc.]. 1949 ‘J. Nelson’ Backwoods Teacher x. 105 A generation was growing up which..knew only by hearsay..of ‘rifle-gun’ (a proper distinction from shotgun) balls run in molds on the ‘chimley hurth’. 1951 L. Craig Singing Hills 13 Mr. Givens and his son had taken their rifle-guns and their dog and had gone off hunting. |