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A short, light musket or rifle, esp. one used by mounted soldiers or cavalry.

n a nearly perpendicular position. In this position the soldier is said to stand, and the musket to be held, at carry. -- To carry all before one, to overcome all obstacles; to have uninterrupted success. -- To carry arms (a) To bear weapons. (b) To serve as a soldier. -- To carry away. (a) (Naut.) to break off; to…

To raise, or defray, by a proportional assesment; as, to club the expense. To club a musket (Mil.), to turn the breach uppermost, so as to use it as a club.

A short musket hooked to a swivel attached to a soldier's belt; -- so called from a representation of a dragon's head at the muzzle. Fairholt.

To cause to explode; as, to fire a torpedo; to disharge; as, to fire a musket or cannon; to fire cannon balls, rockets, etc.

ness. Knight. -- Flash in the pan, the flashing of the priming in the pan of a flintlock musket without discharging the piece; hence, sudden, spasmodic effort that accomplishes nothing.

A hand firearm fitted with a flintlock; esp., the old-fashioned musket of European and other armies.

A light kind of flintlock musket, formerly in use.

projectile is placed, with an explosive charge behind, which is ignited by various means. Muskets, rifles, carbines, and fowling pieces are smaller guns, for hand use, and are called small arms. Larger guns are called cannon, ordnance, fieldpieces, carronades, howitzers, etc. See these terms in the Vocabulary. As swift…

A stick to ram down the charge of a musket, etc.; a rammer or ramrod. [R.]

firing pin; the cock; formerly, however, a piece of steel covering the pan of a flintlock musket and struck by the flint of the cock to ignite the priming.

To manage in using, as a spade or a musket; to wield; often, to manage skillfully. That fellow handles his bow like a crowkeeper. Shak.

To recoil; -- said of a musket, cannon, etc.

A musket-proof shield of rope, wood, or metal, which is sometimes used for the protection of sappers or riflemen while attacking a fortress, or of gunners at embrasures; -- now commonly written mantlet.

gy. -- Manual exercise (Mil.) the exercise by which soldiers are taught the use of their muskets and other arms. -- Seal manual, the impression of a seal worn on the hand as a ring. -- Sign manual. See under Sign.

An old form of gunlock containing a match for firing the priming; hence, a musket fired by means of a match.

A musketeer, esp. one of the French royal musketeers of the 17th and 18th centuries, conspicuous both for their daring and their fine dress.

See Musket.

A piece of ordnance, consisting of a number of musket barrels arranged so that a match or train may connect with all their touchholes, and a discharge be secured almost or quite simultaneously.

A musket, gun, or cannon; as, a battery of six pieces; a following piece.