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• half cock
  half cock

  noun

  the position of the hammer of a firearm when held halfway to the fully retracted position by a mechanism that prevents it from being released and firing the gun when the trigger is pulled.
• half-cock
  half-cock

  verb (used with object)

  to set the hammer of (a firearm) at half cock.

half cock

¹ American  

[haf kok] / ˈhæf ˈkɒk /

noun

1. the position of the hammer of a firearm when held halfway to the fully retracted position by a mechanism that prevents it from being released and firing the gun when the trigger is pulled.

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half-cock ² American  

[haf-kok, hahf-] / ˈhæfˈkɒk, ˈhɑf- /

verb (used with object)

1. to set the hammer of (a firearm) at half cock.

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half-cock British  

noun

1. on a single-action firearm, a halfway position in which the hammer can be set for safety; in this position the trigger is cocked by the hammer which cannot reach the primer to fire the weapon

2. 1. to fail as a result of inadequate preparation or premature starting

   2. to act or function prematurely

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Etymology

Origin of half cock¹

First recorded in 1695–1705

Origin of half-cock²

First recorded in 1825–35

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

half cock half-cock

Then it was not Dickinson's, but Jackson's, pistol that stopped at , half cock.

From Time Magazine Archive

When three hours are up, the regulators are pulled back and all burners lit at half cock.

From Pottery, for Artists Craftsmen & Teachers by Cox, George J.

"I beg your pardon, sir," said Lord Ipsden to his antagonist; "I am going to take a liberty—a great liberty with you, but I think you will find your pistol is only at half cock."

From Christie Johnstone by Reade, Charles

Both creatures are represented accurately in the mediæval traditional form, the cockatrice half dragon, half cock; the deaf adder laying one ear against the ground and stopping the other with her tail.

From Our Fathers Have Told Us Part I. The Bible of Amiens by Ruskin, John

The photographer, with courage worthy of a better cause, leapt light-heartedly into the paddock, with the trigger of his hand camera at half cock.

From The Harmsworth Magazine, v. 1, 1898-1899, No. 2 by Various

“The modification appears to be related to the notches on the internal portion of the hammer for full-cock, half-cock and quarter cock positions,” the prosecutors wrote in court papers.

From New York Times ● May 17, 2023

"It is absolutely essential that we stay focused on how in this transitional period, nobody loses their head, nobody goes off half-cock, people don't start moving on scatter-brained or revengeful premises," Kerry added.

From Reuters ● Jun. 27, 2016

Teddy Bear had an idea that bees, in spite of their altogether diminutive size, were capable of making themselves unpleasant, and also that they had a temper which was liable to go off at half-cock.

From Children of the Wild by Roberts, Charles George Douglas, Sir

I was afraid you might go off at half-cock, as usual, if I turned the matter over to you.

From The Real Man by Lynde, Francis

And, watching my opportunity, it was not long before I contrived to set my rifle to half-cock and replace the cap on the nipple without attracting the king’s attention.

From Through Veld and Forest An African Story by Webb, Archibald