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A fire started ahead of a forest or prairie fire to burn only against the wind, so that when the two fires meet both must go out for lack of fuel.

To have or experience a back fire or back fires; -- said of an internal-combustion engine.

A signal fire; an alarm fire. Sweet Teviot! on thy silver tide The glaring balefires blaze no more. Sir W. Scott.

A large fire built in the open air, as an expression of public joy and exultation, or for amusement. Full soon by bonfire and by bell, We learnt our liege was passing well. Gay.

See under Cartridge.

See Corposant; also Saint Elmo's Fire, under Saint.

To set on fire. [Obs.] Spenser.

. A bloomery fire. See Bloomery.

Having a firing pin to explode the cartridge; as, a pin-fire rifle.

A case of strong paper filled with a composition of niter, sulphur, and mealed powder, -- used principally to ignite the priming in proving guns, and as an incendiary material in shells.

A mount permitting easy and quick elevation or depression and training of the gun, and fitting with a device for taking up the recoil.

bbr. B. L.), applied to all guns loading with the charge in bags, and formerly from quick-fire. Rapid-fire guns in the navy also sometimes include automatic or semiautomatic rapid-fire guns; the former being automatic guns of not less than one inch caliber, firing a shell of not less than one pound weight, the explosio…

Having the percussion fulminate in a rim surrounding the base, distinguished from center-fire; -- said of cartridges; also, using rim-fire cartridges; as, a rim-fire gun. Such cartridges are now little used.

An alarm of fire. [Obs.]

A violent, irascible, or passionate person. [Colloq.] Grose.

A composition of inflammable materials, which, kindled, is very hard to quench; Greek fire. Brimstone, pitch, wildfire . . . burn cruelly, and hard to quench. Bacon.

On fire; in a blaze, gleaming. Milman. All ablaze with crimson and gold. Longfellow.

In breech-loading firearms, the block behind the barrel which receives the pressure due to recoil.

To set on fire; to kindle. [Obs.] Fotherby.

se profession it is to calculate for insurance companies the risks and premiums for life, fire, and other insurances.