| 释义 |
machine-gun, n.
A mounted gun which is mechanically loaded and fired, delivering a continuous fire of projectiles. Also fig., attrib., and Comb.
Some more recent types of machine-gun can be fired from the hip and are adaptable for firing single shots.
1870Jrnl. R. United Service Inst. XIV. 504 Machine Guns: The ‘Gatling Battery’—The Agar and Claxton Guns—The French and Montigny Mitrailleurs. 1882Army & Navy Mag. Dec. 195 Machine-guns, which have an effective range not differing materially from that of small arms, would..have to advance with infantry. 1890W. J. Gordon Foundry 26 We may as well say something here about the machine guns. 1906Westm. Gaz. 4 Oct. 2/3 Motor-bicycles, those machine-gun terrors of the road. 1909Ibid. 9 Dec. 5/1 Experiments carried out with the machine-gun fitted aeroplane. 1915R. W. Campbell Private Spud Tamson xix. 288 Z-r-r-p—Z-r-r-p—Z-r-r-p spat the machine-gun batteries behind the little knolls. 1919‘Boyd Cable’ Old Contemptibles ix. 146 The steady postman's-knock rat-tat-tat of machine-guns. Ibid. xvi. 255 The rifle and machine-gun fire rose again. 1928H. Laski in Holmes–Laski Lett. (1953) II. 1077 They cross-examined me with machine-gun rapidity. 1937Koestler Spanish Testament v. 104 Militiamen were frequently obliged to smoke out the machine-gun nests set up in the monasteries. 1941Ann. Reg. 1940 154 [France] sent..5,000 machine-gun rifles. 1955S. Spender Coll. Poems 1928–53 99 Machine-gun anger quickly scythed the grasses. 1970Toronto Daily Star 24 Sept. 3/3 They put their machine-gun nests on roofs and in the rooms and gardens of private houses. 1972‘E. Lathen’ Murder without Icing (1973) iii. 30 Convulsions on one level or another could be expected with..machine-gun rapidity. 1973Times 14 Nov. 8/1 The Israelis..have reinforced their machinegun posts beside the road.
So machine-gun v. trans., to turn a machine-gun on, to fire at with a machine-gun; machine-gunning vbl. n.; machine-gunner, one who operates a machine-gun. Also fig.
1915R. Brooke Let. 29 Jan. (1968) 658 There's a good chance of my going to Hythe for a fortnight to learn machine-gunning. 1915‘I. Hay’ First Hundred Thousand xix. 279 The machine-gunner is a more or less accepted nuisance by this time. 1917‘Contact’ Airman's Outings 185 Other guerilla work is done by craft which..machine⁓gun whatever worth-while objects they spot. 1918E. M. Roberts Flying Fighter 38 Whatever they saw was sure to be machine-gunned. 1930J. B. Priestley Angel Pavement ii. 76 They sweep, lash, and machine-gun the streets with rain. 1942R.A.F. Jrnl. 2 May 5 Our work was mainly bombing and machine gunning, to weaken the will of the enemy. Ibid. 16 May 21, I..maintained my course to machine-gun the decks. 1955Times 25 June 6/3 He said that a conspiracy was hatched last November for a military revolt... The aim was to murder the President of the Republic through air bombardment or land action and to intimidate civilians by air bombing or machine⁓gunning the streets. 1967B. Patten Little Johnny's Confession 17 The last young thigh..machineguns you down. 1970T. Hughes Crow 24 The face Of a machine-gunner a long burst not long enough. 1972Daily Tel. 1 June 2/8 This was followed by a machine-gunning of the Spanish Embassy on December 3. 1973D. Lees Rape of Quiet Town vi. 102, I aimed at one of the machine-gunners. |