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"A fierce whisper." Dickens. "A fierce tyrant." Pope. The fierce foe hung upon our broken rear. Milton. Thou huntest me as a fierce lion. Job. x. 16.

crab. -- Fighting fish (Zoöl.), a remarkably pugnacious East Indian fish (Betta pugnax), reared by the Siamese for spectacular fish fights.

ers. -- File leader, the soldier at the front of any file, who covers and leads those in rear of him. -- File marching, the marching of a line two deep, when faced to the right or left, so that the front and rear rank march side by side. Brande & C. --Indian file, or Single file, a line of men marching one behind ano…

A commissioned or noncommissioned officer posted in the rear of a line, or on the flank of a column, of soldiers, to rectify mistakes and insure steadiness and promptness in the ranks.

The discharge of firearms; firing; as, the troops were exposed to a heavy fire. Blue fire, Red fire, Green fire (Pyrotech.), compositions of various combustible substances, as sulphur, niter, lampblack, etc., the flames of which are colored by various metallic salts, as those of antimony, strontium, barium, etc. -- Fi…

The act of disharging firearms.

In the breech mechanism of a firearm, the pin which strikes the head of the cartridge and explodes it.

tack upon the side of an army or body of troops, distinguished from one upon its front or rear. -- Flank company (Mil.), a certain number of troops drawn up on the right or left of a battalion; usually grenadiers, light infantry, or riflemen. -- Flank defense (Fort.), protection of a work against undue exposure to an…

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

In firearms, the wooden stock under the barrel, forward of the trigger guard, or breech frame. -- Fore girth, a girth for the fore part (of a horse, etc.); a martingale. -- Fore hammer, a sledge hammer, working alternately, or in time, with the hand hammer. -- Fore leg, one of the front legs of a quadruped, or multi…

ry. -- Foster lean Etym: [foster + AS. læn a loan See Loan.], remuneration fixed for the rearing of a foster child; also, the jointure of a wife. [Obs.] Wharton. -- Foster mother, a woman who takes a mother's place in the nurture and care of a child; a nurse. -- Foster nurse, a nurse; a nourisher. [R.] Shak. -- Fos…

A clutch fitted in the rear hub of a cycle, which engages the rear sprocket with the rear wheel when the pedals are rotated forwards, but permits the rear wheel to run on free from the rear sprocket when the pedals are stopped or rotated backwards. Freewheelcycles are usually fitted with hub brakes or rim brakes, opera…

forward; the fore or forward part; the foremost rank; the van; -- the opposite to back or rear; as, the front of a house; the front of an army. Had he his hurts before Ay, on the front. Shak.

A simultaneous discharge of firearms.

The end wall of a building, as distinguished from the front or rear side.

greedily gained of thy neighbors by extortion. Ezek. xxii. 12. Gaining twist, in rifled firearms, a twist of the grooves, which increases regularly from the breech to the muzzle. To gain on or upon. (a) To encroach on; as, the ocean gains on the land. (b) To obtain influence with. (c) To win ground upon; to move faster…

of the native inhabitants of the pampas, of Spanish-American descent. They live mostly by rearing cattle.

To gnarl; to snarl; to growl; -- written also gnarr. [Archaic] At them he gan to rear his bristles strong, And felly gnarre. Spenser. A thousand wants Gnarr at the heels of men. Tennison.

ame instead of from the staff or the mast itself. Standards and gonfalons, 'twixt van and rear, Stream in the air. Milton.

The entrance into a bastion or other outwork of a fort; -- usually synonymous with rear. See Illust. of Bastion.