center-fire

[ sen-ter-fahyuhr ]

/ ˈsɛn tərˌfaɪər /

Save This Word!

adjective

(of a cartridge) having the primer in the center of the base.Compare rimfire (def. 1).

(of firearms) designed for the use of such cartridges.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

Origin of center-fire

An Americanism dating back to 1870–75

But what is there more irresponsible than playing with the fire of an imagined civil war in the France of today?
Houellebecq’s Incendiary Novel Imagines France With a Muslim President|Pierre Assouline|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The cameraman was reporting on the factory catching fire when the inevitable happened.
Fireworks Factory Explodes in Colorful Burst|The Daily Beast Video|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Note: UNICOR uses its inmates for everything from call center operators to human demolishers of old computers.
How a ‘Real Housewife’ Survives Prison: ‘I Don’t See [Teresa Giudice] Having a Cakewalk Here’|Michael Howard|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It is the only tourist center Ukraine has left on the Black Sea, since Russia annexed Crimea last spring.
Is Putin Turning to Terrorism in Ukraine?|Anna Nemtsova|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Lady Edith is so sad that her sadness nearly set the whole damned house on fire.
‘Downton Abbey’ Review: A Fire, Some Sex, and Sad, Sad Edith|Kevin Fallon|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The controlling center of consciousness is the extreme limit of the nares anteri.
Expressive Voice Culture|Jessie Eldridge Southwick
"A camp-fire would hardly flash and die out like that, Sarge," he answered thoughtfully.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
She got up and stood in front of the fire, having her hand on the chimney-piece and looking down at the blaze.
Confidence|Henry James
The fire had been heaped over with earth—to screen it from prying eyes, I suppose, while the good work went on.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
But, as the keel of the boats touched bottom, each boat-load dashed into the water and then into the enemy's fire.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton