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A kind of breechloading, center-fire rifle, or improved needle gun.

A projectile constructed so as to take the grooves of a rifle by means of a soft copper band firmly attached near its base or, formerly, by means of an envelope of soft metal. In small arms the modern projectile, having a soft core and harder jacket, is subjected to compression throughout the entire cylindrical part.…

ssurance; as to a statement or belief; additional evidence; proof; convincing testimony. Trifles light as air Are to the jealous confirmations strong As proofs of holy writ. Shak.

A change of character or use, as of smoothbore guns into rifles.

To trifle in love; to stimulate affection or interest; to play the coquette; to deal playfully instead of seriously; to play (with); as, we have coquetted with political crime.

One Who fondles; a trifler; as, dalliers with pleasant words. Asham.

tuous pleasures, or in idleness; to fool away time; to delay unnecessarily; to tarry; to trifle. We have trifled too long already; it is madness to dally any longer. Calamy. We have put off God, and dallied with his grace. Barrow.

To play with; to put off or delay by trifles; to wheedle. [Obs.] Captains do so dandle their doings, and dally in the service, as it they would not have the enemy subdued. Spenser.

One who dangles about or after others, especially after women; a trifler. " Danglers at toilets." Burke.

To waste time in trifling employment; to trifle; to saunter. Come some evening and dawdle over a dish of tea with me. Johnson. We . . . dawdle up and down Pall Mall. Thackeray.

One who wastes time in trifling employments; an idler; a trifler.

To loiter or trifle; to waste time.

A trifle which wastes time or distracts attention. Prevented from finishing them [the letters] a thousand avocations and dissipations. Swift. Dissipation of energy. Same as Degradation of energy, under Degradation.

A trifler; a simple fellow.

To trifle; to toy. -- v. t.

A fig; an insignificant trifle, no more than the snap of one's thumb; a sign of contempt made by the fingers, expressing. A fig for you. Steal! foh, a fico for the phrase. Shak.

oving as a fiddler does; to move the hands and fingers restlessy or in busy idleness; to trifle. Talking, and fiddling with their hats and feathers. Pepys.

A trifle; trifling talk; nonsense. [Colloq.] Spectator.

A trifle. [Low] Hudibras.

Precise in trifles; idly busy. [Colloq.] Smart.