hand cannon
The term "hand cannon" has evolved from describing early firearms to modern slang for large handguns.
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Definition
C1Historical Firearms
(technical, academic)An early type of firearm that required manual ignition, used in the late medieval and early Renaissance periods.
Example
- The museum displayed a hand cannon from the 15th century.
- Hand cannons were among the first portable firearms used in battle.
B2Modern Slang
(informal, US)A very large handgun, often considered impractical due to its size and power.
Example
- He showed off his new hand cannon at the shooting range.
- In the movie, the hero wielded a hand cannon to take down the villains.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "hand cannon":
big gunpocket pistolsmoke polehand grenadebarking ironghost gunloose cannongun forpellet gunsleeve gunelectric gunheavy artillerypistol grip