hand cannon

English

Alternative forms

• handcannon

Etymology

From hand +‎ cannon.

Noun

hand cannon (plural hand cannons)

1. An early firearm that required manual ignition through a touch hole.

   Synonyms: gonne, handgonne

2. (US, slang) A very large handgun, often impractically so.
   • 1994, Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary, Pulp Fiction

     Vincent: "Did you forget that somebody was in there with a goddamn hand cannon?"

   • Hand Cannon - TV Tropes. Retrieved on 17 June 2022.

     Magnum-caliber handguns or pistols that use rifle cartridges comprise most of the Hand Cannon trope, due to their superior ballistics.

Translations

early firearm

• Finnish: käsikanuuna
• German: Handkanone f, Handfeuerrohr n
• Polish: rusznica (pl) f