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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

"She has been now fooling me for six years;" and as he concluded this sentence, Mr Vanslyperken and Snarleyyow had reached the taffrail, and the dog raised his tail to the half cock.

From Snarleyyow by Frederick Marryat

That operation, as every one knows, produces two sounds or clicks, one when the hammer reaches the half cock, and the other when it comes to the full cock.

From The Oaths, Signs, Ceremonies and Objects of the Ku-Klux-Klan. A Full Expose. By A Late Member by Anonymous

"There is no use going off at half cock, Craig," he snarled.

From Gordon Craig Soldier of Fortune by Alonzo Kimball

"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 Charles Reade

“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

You mustn't go off at half-cock, that way.

From The Real Man by Francis Lynde

Smooth-bored, clean-run, from her fiddle head with its dainty ear half-cock, Hard-bit, pur sang, from her overhang to the heel of her off hind sock.

From From a Cornish Window A New Edition by Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch

Of the hammers, one was down, the other at half-cock; and, pulling open the breech, the Commandant drew forth two cartridges, the one empty, the other unused.

From Major Vigoureux by Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch