shooting iron

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noun Informal.

a firearm, especially a pistol or revolver.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of shooting iron

An Americanism dating back to 1780–90

Words nearby shooting iron

Shoot, if you must, this old gray head, shooting box, shooting brake, shooting gallery, shooting guard, shooting iron, shooting match, shooting script, shooting star, shooting stick, shooting war

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use shooting iron in a sentence

But if you'll take your hand off me and put down that shooting-iron, I'll help you hunt it, if there is one.
The Biography of a Prairie Girl|Eleanor Gates
The only effective shooting-iron in camp was his six-shooter and, with this he was thoroughly master of the situation.
The Snow-Burner|Henry Oyen
"Put up your shooting iron, Mr. Melville," said Col. Warner, exhibiting a slight shade of annoyance.
Do and Dare|Horatio Alger, Jr.
"Not this time," I said, as I got the drop on them with my new shooting-iron; and I marched the ruffians into town.
On a Donkey's Hurricane Deck|R. Pitcher Woodward

In each pair one was to carry the light, while the other managed the ‘shooting iron.’
The Hunters' Feast|Mayne Reid

British Dictionary definitions for shooting iron

shooting iron

noun

US slang a firearm, esp a pistol

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012