firingn.
/ˈfʌɪərɪŋ/, U.S. /ˈfaɪ(ə)rɪŋ/ I. The action of starting or maintaining a fire, or of subjecting something to fire, and related senses.
1.
a. The action or an act of setting something on fire.Recorded earliest in firing barrel n. at Compounds 2.
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the world > matter > properties of materials > temperature > heat > burning > [noun] > going or setting on fire > setting on fire or alight
lightingc1300
firing1370
lighting up1554
lightening1599
1370 Accts. Exchequer King's Remembrancer (P.R.O.: E101/30/13) m. 2 j ffuryngbarell.
a1450 ( tr. Vegetius De Re Militari (Douce) f. 57 (MED) Fyringe of bekenes.
a1460 Knyghthode & Bataile (Pembr. Cambr. 243) 2280 (MED) For firing of the yatis make obstacle, Couer hem with hidys and with iron plate.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry IV f. xviiiv Perceuyng by the firyng of the beacons that the people began to assemble.
1572 in J. Cranstoun Satirical Poems Reformation (1891) I. 207 Sum ar feirit for fyring of thair lands.
1602 R. Carew Surv. Cornwall ii. f. 158v Besides, such nap-taking assaults, spoylings, and firings, haue in our forefathers daies..beene very common.
1655 R. Heaman Addit. Brief Narr. 11 The preparations and fuses, for the firing of the ship Golden Lion.
1751 Universal Mag. Mar. 104/1 The same has happened by violent showers, earthquakes, thunder, the firing of woods, [etc.].
1796 Universal Mag. Nov. 377/2 Sextus had..already proceeded with the other conspirators to the firing of the capitol, and the assassination of Titus.
1817 Cobbett's Weekly Polit. Reg. 1 Feb. 150 Those meetings led..to the firing and pulling down of houses.
1916 B. Miall tr. J. Massart Belgians under German Eagle ii. 165 The examination has taken place after the firing of houses and the shooting of inhabitants.
1961 C. M. Wilson Grass & People iii. 36 In various ways, including firing, overgrazing, and..plowing, man has destroyed or impeded grasses with violence.
2010 M. A. Halleran Better Angels of our Nature iii. 72 Palmer was outraged at the firing of the town.
b. The action of catching fire or becoming ignited.
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the world > matter > properties of materials > temperature > heat > burning > [noun] > going or setting on fire > going on fire
firing1591
flagration1669
1591 G. Fletcher Of Russe Common Wealth iv. f. 14v The greatest inconuenience of their woodden building is the aptnes for firing, which happeneth very oft.
a1642 H. Best Farming & Memorandum Bks. (1984) 64 Then doe wee drawe up a leape aboute the middle of each room stead..whearby the dainger of firinge is prevented.
a1676 M. Hale Primitive Originat. Mankind (1677) i. iii. 95 By the eruption of..Sulphureous Vapours, and the firing thereof, these protuberances of Mountains and Hills may be made.
1677 A. Yarranton England's Improvem. 16 The ruine of some thousand Families since the firing of London.
1741 W. Ellis Mod. Husbandman May v. 87 In order to absorb the Humidity, and prevent its Firing.
1794 Sporting Mag. Dec. 126/2 This fermentation of the hay is the occasion of its firing when stacked before it is sufficiently dry.
1860 Farmer's Mag. Nov. 425/2 Unless care be taken to have the plantains thoroughly dry, they may cause the firing of the rick.
1929 C. L. Orrben et al. Soil Surv. Guthrie County, Iowa (U.S. Dept. Agric.) 3 July and August are generally very hot and dry, but light showers during these months prevent firing of the crops.
1990 R. M. Durling & R. L. Martinez Time & Crystal iii. 127 The language of the sestina does not rule out natural circumstances during which the reversal of rivers and the firing of green wood might occur.
2.
a. The action of tending a fire, the supplying of fuel to a fire; (later) spec. the action of igniting or maintaining the fire in a furnace, boiler, etc. (now esp. with reference to mechanized or automatic systems for doing this).
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the world > matter > properties of materials > temperature > heat > burning > [noun] > feeding or tending fire
firinga1438
a1438 Bk. Margery Kempe (1940) i. 181 (MED) Þerfor was hir labowr..in waschyng & wryngyng & hir costage in fyryng.
1843 Bradford Observer 5 Jan. 5/1 The saving of fuel and the accession of power is so great, that the firing of one boiler alone is found to be sufficient to turn all the machinery.
1892 Labour Comm. Gloss. Firing, attending to the fires and keeping them up to the required heat for carbonising coal.
1911 Suppl. to 25th Ann. Rep. State Board of Health Ohio 1910 145 The firing of the furnace is carefully attended to and owing to the fact that the boiler firemen also care for the operation of the crematory, proper firing is accomplished.
1937 Life 26 July 87/2 (advt.) The popularity of the Iron Fireman Coal Flow model, which abolishes coal handling by feeding directly from the coal bin, is a major factor in the swing to automatic coal firing.
2008 D. Smith & R. Kochhar in S. P. Gill Cognition, Communication & Interaction xxviii. 512 An electric fan which could be used to speed up firing of the furnace.
b. The ignition of the mixture in a cylinder of an internal combustion engine.Quot. 1865 refers to a gas engine invented by J. J. E. Lenoir in 1859–60.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > machines which impart power > engine > internal-combustion engine > [noun] > ignition
firing1865
ignition1906
1865 Pract. Mechanic's Jrnl. Aug. 146/1 M. Lenoir..proposes, in some cases, to admit into the working cylinder, in addition to the air, a certain amount of low-pressure steam..so that on the firing of the gas, the steam or vapour will be considerably expanded, and will increase the effect of the engine.
1901 E. W. Longanecker Pract. Gas Engineer 62 The principal objection to a high compression is the danger of premature firing of charges under a full load.
1966 L. Jackson & T. D. Morton Reed's Gen. Engin. Knowl. for Marine Engineers ii. 41 The time interval between fuel injection and firing, called ignition delay, must not be too long.
1992 J. Erjavec & R. Scharff Automotive Technol. xix. 472/1 At very high engine speeds,..the module keeps high current flow going to keep the coil continually saturated for fast firing.
3. † b. A quantity of burning fuel; a fire. Obsolete. rare.
a. Material for a fire; firewood. Now rare.
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society > occupation and work > materials > fuel > [noun]
tindera700
foodOE
eletc1200
firec1300
fuela1398
eldinga1400
firingc1487
betting1521
pabulum1675
fire block1834
fire mixture1855
alternative fuel1906
c1487 J. Skelton tr. Diodorus Siculus Bibliotheca Historica iii. 209 So grete habundaunce is there among theym of swete herbes and flagrant trees, that they make theire vsuall firyng therof, and brenne it in theire kechynnes.
?a1525 (?a1475) Play Sacrament l. 691 Bryng on fyryng..To hete thys ovyn be nott agast.
1591 R. Greene Notable Discouery of Coosenage f. 14v Fewell or fyering being a thing necessare.
1667 S. Pepys Diary 24 Aug. (1974) VIII. 399 The bells rung, but no bonfires..anywhere, partly from the dearness of firing.
a1714 E. Freke Remembrances (2001) 249 Tho I kep them all in meat, drink, and fireing, yett he would nott aford me a bed to rest on.
1796 J. Morse Amer. Universal Geogr. (new ed.) II. 212 Want of firing is the greatest inconveniency that both islands labour under.
1833 H. Martineau Brooke & Brooke Farm (ed. 3) ii. 18 Their mother explained that the boys cut firing on the common.
1864 ‘H. Stretton’ Fern's Hollow iv. 32 Martha can pick bilberries on the hill, and carry bundles of firing to the village.
1922 W. Cather One of Ours iii. 22 She thought herself well off now, never to have to beg for food or go off into the woods to gather firing.
1989 C. Palliser Quincunx (1991) 327 We may no longer gather firing and furze and cut turves on the common.
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society > occupation and work > materials > fuel > material for igniting > [noun] > torch or brand
fire stickc1300
firebrandc1330
fire-blazea1500
firing?c1500
stick of firec1510
lunt1550
tede1562
fire-link1579
fire cane1644
brand1810
?c1500 Conversion of St. Paul (Digby) l. 432 + 2 (stage direct.) Here shall entere a-nother devyll..with a fyeryng.
4. The action or an act of subjecting something to fire or heat in order to effect a physical change; esp. the action or an act of baking pottery, bricks, etc., in a kiln. Cf. fire v.1 6.biscuit firing, bisque firing, etc.: see the first element.
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the world > matter > properties of materials > temperature > heat > heating or making hot > subjection or exposure to heat or fire > [noun]
annealing1399
firinga1550
assation1605
flammation1646
the world > food and drink > drink > tea manufacture > [noun] > process of drying
firing1888
wither1897
a1550 ( G. Ripley Compend of Alchemy (Bodl. e Mus.) f. 47v (MED) Then muste thow know the mesure of fiering, The whiche vnknowen thy work is lost.
1651 J. French Art Distillation i. 9 Calcination..may be done two waies—by firing, by Corosion.
1783 J. Wedgwood in Philos. Trans. 1782 (Royal Soc.) 72 307 Their use is confined to a particular structure of furnaces, and mode of firing.
1839 W. B. Stonehouse Hist. Isle of Axholme 228 This window has had four firings at a very high temperature.
1885 Harper's Mag. Apr. 679 1 The glazing and firing of pottery has been a fine art.
1888 Times (Weekly ed.) 23 Nov. 9/4 The process called ‘firing’ [of tea]..is a kind of roasting.
1902 House Furnishing Rev. Feb. 116/1 A number of firings are necessary to complete a vase.
1973 C. Ridley tr. S. Alexiou Minoan Civilization (ed. 2) i. 14 The burnish was obtained by rubbing the surface of the pot after firing.
1986 T. Mo Insular Possession iv. 25 A good fragrant leaf with the firing in the pans perfectly done and not a trace of adulteration.
2008 Art Fund 2007/2008 Rev. 159/2 Flames, smoke, and ash dramatically alter the surface on the pots during firing.
5. Farriery. Cauterization; spec. treatment of a horse for lameness by cauterization of the affected leg or legs. Cf. fire v.1 9.
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the world > health and disease > healing > veterinary medicine and surgery > [noun] > veterinary procedures > procedures in farriery
fireeOE
discordingc1325
rowelling1601
soil1607
raking1610
roping1611
firing1644
scalding1753
balling1788
1644 W. Prynne & C. Walker True Relation Prosecution N. Fiennes 65 Who should not use cauteries or firing till the utmost extremity.
1743 H. Bracken Farriery Improved (ed. 3) II. vi. 218 Firing may be of Service in relation to Bone-spavins.
1866 J. E. T. Rogers Hist. Agric. & Prices I. xv. 282 In 1385..firing was used to cure horses of spavin.
1891 Daily News 21 Apr. 5/4 Firing, for curb especially, need not be a severe operation.
1976 J. Forbis Classic Arabian Horse xx. 385 Firing is used when other remedies fail to work.
2005 W. Vamplew & J. Kay Encycl. Brit. Horseracing 326 Injured tendons are often treated by ‘firing’ in which a red hot iron or sulphuric acid is applied to the skin of the affected leg.
6. In plants, esp. crop plants: the development of an abnormal yellow, brown, spotted, or scorched appearance, whether caused by disease or by adverse growing conditions; a condition so characterized. See fire v.1 7b.
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the world > plants > disease or injury > [noun] > damage due to environmental conditions
wind-stroke1657
carbunculation1666
firing1693
fire blast1727
houseburning1757
winter-killing1827
sun scald1850
scalding1865
sunburn1865
wind-blow1921
water stress1922
balling1928
windrock1969
wind-rocking1972
Waldsterben1983
1693 J. Clayton in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 17 947 What they call Firing is this: When..there has been a very wet and cold Season, and very hot Weather suddenly ensues, the Leaves [of tobacco] turn brown, and dry to dust.
1770 L. Carter Diary 6 Sept. (1965) I. 480 Every body complain of firing [of tobacco].
1812 J. Dubourdieu Statist. Surv. County Antrim 197 Flax is subject to a disease called firing, which often attacks it when near ripe.
1839 Farmer's Cabinet III. 334 That much dreaded firing, as the planters term it, which so despoils the [corn] crop of its rightful fruitfulness.
1892 Ann. Rep. Univ. of Maryland, Agric. Exper. Station 421 The first symptom of the disease is a firing of the vines.
1921 F. Bradbury Flax Culture (ed. 2) vii. 62 Other diseases commonly denominated flax wilt, flax rust, browning, firing..have been observed. These common names are arbitrary and suggestive of effect rather than cause.
1984 D. A. Roberts & C. W. Boothroyd Fund. Plant Pathol. (ed. 2) xxx. 375 Firing and scorch are common leaf symptoms.
2004 D. P. Jeffers in C. W. Smith et al. Corn iii. 691 The first symptoms are a firing of the leaves followed by discoloration of the lower stem.
II. The discharging of a firearm, and derived senses.
7. The action or an act of discharging a gun, cannon, or other firearm; gunfire. Also: the action of exploding a mine.artillery firing, ball-firing, counter-firing, cross-firing, gun-firing, night firing, practice firing, rocket firing, street firing, etc.: see the first element.
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society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > use of mines and explosives > [noun] > laying of mines > causing mine to explode
firinga1525
springing1645
society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > action of propelling missile > discharge of firearms > [noun]
gunning1570
fire1590
firing1684
squibbing1697
gunfire1801
gunnery1816
pop-off1843
pluffing1852
machine-gun fire1882
gun-play1897
loosing off1906
a1525 in W. A. Craigie Asloan MS (1923) I. 230/2 King James the secund..was slane with ane gwn the quhilk brak in the fyring.
1603 R. Knolles Gen. Hist. Turkes 69 All things being now in a readinesse for the fiering of the mine.
1684 Scanderbeg Redivivus vi. 143 The fierce Firings of the said Battalions.
1748 T. Smollett Roderick Random I. xxiv. 223 We heard firing, whereby we made for the place.
1790 R. Beatson Naval & Mil. Mem. I. 157 Night coming on, the firing on both sides ceased.
1841 Times 21 Dec. 2/6 A little knob of wood..similar to a pistol-grip, which gives great steadiness in firing.
1885 Manch. Examiner 3 Oct. 4/7 The train drew up..amid..the firing of guns.
1932 J. A. Barlow Elem. Rifle Shooting v. 62 The desire to have the aim correct before firing.
1958 A. Marshack World in Space x. 174 After six years and approximately 60 V-2 firings, rockets of American design were finally added.
2012 Mail & Guardian (Johannesburg) 31 Aug. 4/1 When the firing finally ceased, Tsepo managed to escape across the veld to the north.
8. Campanology. The action or an act of ringing the bells in a peal all at once. Cf. fire v.1 16.
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society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > sound of instruments > [noun] > sound of bell > number of bells together
reela1450
pealingc1475
peal1513
tingle-tanglea1635
clamming1684
clam1702
firing1788
1788 W. Jones et al. Clavis Campanalogia 4 Those clamberings and firings (as it is called) that destroy all music.
1872 Church Bells 17 Aug. 451/1 The effect of the ‘firing’, which is only done on special occasions, was very peculiar.
1880 G. Grove Dict. Music I. 528/2 Firing is pulling all the bells in a tower at once, so as to make them strike together.
1920 Musical Times 61 698/1 In the last page huge chords and a frantic pedal seem to represent the ‘firing’ of the bells.
2001 Ringing World 23 Mar. 307/1 There must be no firing of the bells and no long periods of ringing on the newly-restored ring of eight.
9. Physiology. The generation of a nerve impulse or muscular contraction.
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1899 T. C. Allbutt Syst. Med. 514 We do not know how the discharges from the individual neurons composing a nerve-centre are coordinated in time... The discharging may take place by platoon firing, or by company firing, or by desultory rank firing.]
1924 Proc. Royal Soc. 1923–4 B. 95 143 The explanation may lie in the ‘repetitive firing’ of the nerve-fibre.
1962 M. J. Wells Brain & Behaviour in Cephalopods vii. 84 It is suggested that the proportion of sense organs excited determines the rate of firing in the axons running from the nerve cord to the brain.
1988 Black Belt Aug. 68/3 The conscious mind simply cannot control all of the variables of individual muscle bundle firing, the proper positioning of the limb, etc.
2013 E. C. Zsiga Sound of Lang. ix. 183 The brain can interpret the firing of specific bundles of neurons as the presence of specific frequencies in the signal.
III. The action of dismissing a person.
10. Originally and chiefly U.S. The action of summarily dismissing a person from a job or position; an instance of this.
ΚΠ
1915 Ann. Amer. Acad. Polit. & Social Sci. 61 128 By labor turn-over is meant the number of hirings and firings in a plant.
1954 Chester (Pa.) Times 16 July 2/6 In a related development the FHA announced the firing of its general counsel Burton C. Bovard.
1977 Washington Post (Nexis) 23 Jan. a4 They have refused to bargain with the union—except for a single ‘negotiating proposal’ which called for firing..of the employees who formed the local.
2002 L. Osborne Amer. Normal vii. 199 The..familiar saga of Asperger's calamity: odd jobs, firings, a gradual downward spiral.
Compounds
C1.
a. General attributive, esp. in senses 2a and 4.
firing hole n.
ΚΠ
1839 J. Millington Elem. Civil Engin. viii. 272 There are seven arches or firing holes in the end, each two feet high by sixteen inches wide.
2009 A. S. Byatt Children's Bk. (2010) x. 127 He even offered advice as they rebuilt the firing-holes and the spy-holes for the pyrometric cones.
firing machine n.
ΚΠ
1825 E. Baines Hist. Lancaster II. 330/1 Stanley John, (patent firing machines).
1907 Jrnl. Soc. Arts 4 Jan. 147/2 The advantages to be gained from the use of electric firing machines, and of bobbinite and other flameless explosives were practically shown.
1998 D. Johnson Tea & Etiquette ix. 127 Firing machines apply heat to arrest any further chemical change and dry the leaf.
firing tool n.
ΚΠ
1838 T. Tredgold & W. S. B. Woolhouse Steam Engine 17 (Appendix) By adopting short and wide furnaces, short firing-tools become necessary.
1915 Heating & Ventilating Mag. Oct. 18/2 The failure of a section of the grate exposed to the severe treatment of the fire and firing tools.
2002 K. L. Cohen Art of Fine Enameling 137 Practice kiln maneuvers with piece on firing support, firing tool, and dark glasses, until your movements are sure.
b. General attributive (in sense 7).
firing mechanism n.
ΚΠ
1866 Standard 30 July 3/5 This weapon..takes easily to pieces, and no grit or dirt can stop the action of the loading and firing mechanism.
1945 C. E. Balleisen Princ. Firearms iv. 34 The release of the energy for the ignition of the primer can be transmitted to the primer through so many possible paths, dependent upon the type of firing mechanism used.
2009 E. Wyld After Fire, Still Small Voice (2010) v. 89 Inspecting the firing mechanism on a civil-war cannon, he put his hand up to his face and said loudly, ‘Buggeration’.
C2.
firing barrel n. †(a) Military an incendiary device consisting of a cylindrical container filled with flammable materials and set alight; = fire-barrel n. at fire n. and int. Compounds 2a (obsolete rare (historical in later use)); (b) (in a firearm, artillery piece, etc.) = barrel n. 7.
ΚΠ
1370Ffuryngbarell [see sense 1a].
1864 A. Walker Rifle Theory & Practice vi. 195 Glycerine..coagulates by a degree of heat far below that which it would encounter in the firing barrel.
1899 E. S. Ellis Life Story Hero Manila ix. 109 Many ingenious weapons were used, including..pavises, lances and firing barrels.
1977 Irish Times 27 May 1/8 The [mortar] crew's loader had put the bomb in the firing barrel when it went off, peeling back the sides of the steel tube.
2010 Coventry Evening Tel. (Nexis) 29 Oct. 3 Dorian researched the tradition before constructing his own [pumpkin] cannon, using a tank of compressed air, a firing barrel and a valve.
firing bay n. Military a straight section of a trench with a concealed parapet or platform for use when firing upon the enemy; = fire bay n. at fire n. and int. Compounds 2a.
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society > armed hostility > defence > defensive work(s) > earthwork or rampart > [noun] > trench > types of trench
transverse1704
front trench1847
communicating trench1857
shelter-trench1870
firing bay1885
communication trench1903
fire trench1907
funk-hole1914
support trench1914
foxhole1915
fire bay1916
slit-trench1942
1885 Daily News 20 Jan. 7/2 The cylinder..projects out of the firing bay to a considerable distance: but it is well covered with bags of sand.
1923 R. Kipling Irish Guards in Great War I. 222 The wreck of a firing-bay.
2006 G. Hutchinson Pilgrimage 406 More than 500 escape tunnels, bunkers, air raid shelters and firing bays..were blown up.
firing chamber n. a cavity or chamber in which firing occurs (in a firearm, engine, kiln, etc.); cf. fire chamber n. at fire n. and int. Compounds 2a.
ΚΠ
1847 Farmer & Mechanic 27 Sept. 462/3 I also claim, the plan of transferring the priming from the fixed magazine, to the firing chamber.
1910 Encycl. Brit. IV. 520/2 The ‘continuous’ kiln..is really made up of a number of separate kilns or firing-chambers.
1937 Amer. Home Apr. 120/3 (advt.) The firing chamber is completely surrounded by water, even at the bottom.
2004 Backwoods Home Mag. July 76/2 The pump gun should be kept loaded to what is called ‘Condition Three’, that is, shells in the magazine but none in the firing chamber.
firing door n. a door giving access to the fire in a furnace or kiln; = fire door n. 1.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > furnace or kiln > furnace > parts of furnace > [noun] > opening through which fuel is fed
coal-hole1651
stoke-hole1660
firing door1828
feed-mouth1833
feed-door1872
1828 J. Ross Treat. Navigation by Steam viii. 159 Two boilers..stand back to back, so that the firing doors may be at the right and left hand ends of the machine.
1892 Pall Mall Gaz. 13 Dec. 6/2 A small but well-preserved hypocaust, with its firing-door.
1943 Pop. Mech. Dec. 116/2 Fuel bed should be level with or slightly above the bottom of the firing door.
2013 R. Miscovich From Wood-fired Oven 310/1 Max and Eva are multi-talented residential and commercial oven builders who also fabricate oven parts and accessories, including firing doors, blowpipes, and peels.
firing glass n. now historical a drinking glass with a very thick base, designed to be banged on the surface of a table during toasts and speeches.
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the world > food and drink > drink > containers for drink > drinking vessel > [noun] > glass
glassc888
verrea1382
Venice glass1527
rummer1625
bottle glass1626
Malaga glassa1627
flute1649
flute-glass1668
long glass1680
mum-glass1684
toasting glass1703
wine glass1709
tulip-glass1755
tun-glass1755
water glass1779
tumbler-glass1795
Madeira glass1801
tumbling glass1803
noggin glass1805
champagne glass1815
table glass1815
balloon glass1819
copita1841
firing glass1842
nobbler1842
thimble glass1843
wine1848
liqueur-glass1850
straw-stem1853
pokal1854
goblet1856
mousseline1862
pony glass1862
long-sleever1872
cocktail glass1873
champagne flute1882
yard-glass1882
sleever1896
tea-glass1898
liqueur1907
dock-glass1911
toast-master glass1916
Waterford1916
stem-glass1922
Pilsner glass1923
Amen glass1924
ballon1930
balloon goblet1931
thistle glass1935
snifter1937
balloon1951
shot-glass1955
handle1956
tulip1961
schooner1967
champagne fountain1973
1842 in C. C. W. Griffiths Reminisc. Worcester Lodge of Freemasons (1870) 25 Four-dozen beautiful cut firing glasses.
1874 Standard 11 Sept. 6/1 When..the speaker termed Sir Watkin ‘our Prince’ in Wales, it became a question as to whether the sturdy ‘firing glasses’ would break or go through the mahogany.
2006 G. R. Nathan Hist. Taverns Boston 82 Toasts to the American fight for freedom and curses to the British parliament, followed by the banging of firing glasses.
firing iron n. †(a) (probably) a piece of iron used for striking a spark with flint; = fire iron n. 1 (obsolete rare); (b) Farriery an instrument used for cauterization, esp. in horses (cf. sense 5 and iron n.1 8).
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the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping or management of horses > shoeing of horses > [noun] > shoeing instruments
butter1370
firing iron1374
butteris1559
pritchel1568
fuller1587
drawing knife1610
draw knife1711
rennet1725
searcher1834
sate1883
buffer1902
1374 Wardrobe Acct. Edward III in Archaeologia (1847) 32 387 xj. firingyrens.
1705 tr. G. Guillet de Saint-Georges Gentleman's Dict. i. (at cited word) When the Farrier has made his Firing-Iron red hot in his Forge, he applies the thinnest part to the Horse's Skin.
1887 A. H. Buck Ref. Handbk. Med. Sci. V. 196/2 Corrigan's button, a firing-iron consisting of a button of iron..fastened in a wooden handle by a rod two inches long.
1999 Times 23 Jan. (Weekend section) 6/3 Also sent in by vets was a range of firing irons, used on horses with tendon injuries.
firing order n. the order in which firing occurs; spec. the order in which the cylinders in an internal combustion engine fire.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > machines which impart power > engine > internal-combustion engine > [noun] > order of cylinder operation
firing order1907
1907 Horseless Age 11 Dec. 838/1 The firing order is 1, 3, 2, 4, counting from the radiator.
1947 S. A. Wood et al. Hist. 313th Infantry in World War II 26/1 An inter-communicating telephone system between the firing line and the pits served to coordinate the firing order.
2012 J. Baechtel Competition Engine Building iii. 129 Many Chevy engine builders have routinely rearranged the firing order of their racing engines.
firing party n. (a) a group of soldiers detailed to fire the salute at a military funeral; (b) a group of soldiers detailed to execute a person by shooting him or her; cf. firing squad n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > death > obsequies > people involved in funeral > [noun] > firing-party
firing party1768
firing squad1861
society > armed hostility > armed forces > the Army > group with special function or duty > [noun] > firing-party
firing party1768
firing squad1861
1768 B. Cuthbertson Syst. Compl. Managem. Battalion of Infantry xxvi. 196 The firing-party should also be composed in the same manner.
1795 Morning Post 16 June There two coffins were then placed before them, and a firing party selected from their own regiment, to put the sentence of death into execution.
1859 F. A. Griffiths Artillerist's Man. (1862) 48 The Firing party move to the grave.
1893 Nation (N.Y.) 5 Jan. 6/1 Such portions of the flower of anarchy as escaped from the barricades would meet their fates..with their backs to some barrack wall at the hands of firing parties.
1963 W. Starkie Scholars & Gypsies vi. 146 Two hours after the firing party had done their job Skeffington was seen to be alive writhing on the ground in the barracks yard, and a second firing party was ordered out to despatch him.
2006 Times 16 Aug. 3/5 His comrades cried as they formed the firing party and some shot wide. It took three volleys to kill him.
2014 Washington Post (Nexis) 6 July c4 The precision team of pallbearers carried the flag-draped casket; a firing party shot three rifle volleys.
firing pin n. a pin or small rod which strikes the primer in a firearm, fuse, or other explosive device when it is fired or detonated.
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society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > parts and fittings of firearms > [noun] > lock > firing-pin
firing pin1860
plunger1866
1860 Sci. Amer. 9 June 379/2 A gliding blow from the face of the hammer upon the head of the firing pin shall have no tendency to revolve the disk.
1945 C. E. Balleisen Princ. Firearms iv. 34 The fixed firing pin is commonly used for submachine guns.
2012 Hoosier Times (Bloomington, Indiana) 27 May (Herald-Times ed.) e5/6 Several states have passed or proposed laws calling for their gun makers to ‘micro-stamp’ handguns with a mark on the firing pin.
firing-place n. †(a) a fireplace (obsolete); (b) a place from which weapons are fired.
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the world > matter > properties of materials > temperature > heat > heating or making hot > that which or one who heats > [noun] > a device for heating or warming > a place for a fire
firepita1500
fireplace1611
firing-place1662
chulha1813
society > armed hostility > military operations > distribution of troops > military position > [noun] > gun-site
cannonery1598
emplacement1811
firing-place1879
fire position1889
machine-gun post1915
gun-site1943
1662 in Statutes at Large, Ireland (1765) II. 505 The said constables..shall take Information by their own view of the Number of such Hearths, Firing Places and Stoves.
1691 A. Swall tr. S. Le P. de Vauban New Method Fortification v. xviiii. 103 If these saliant Angles were not too acute, your Firing-place would be very great.
1742 N. Dubois tr. A. Palladio Disc. Fires Ancients in G. Leoni Archit. A. Palladio II. 99 I shall argue from this, that the Ancients were acquainted with these sorts of Hearths and Firing-places, or they were not.
1879 R. Browning Martin Relph 78 The turf marked out for the party's firing-place.
2006 Irish Times 15 Mar. 17/7 British soldiers..saw a red car departing from the firing-place of a mortar-bomb attack on a military base.
firing point n. (a) the point from which a gun or other weapon is fired, esp. in target shooting; (b) the limit of conditions in which a flammable gas or vapour will ignite in air; (in later use) spec. = fire point n. 4.In quot. 1807 perhaps: the point at which a gun is aimed; = aiming point n. at aiming n. Compounds 2.
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the world > matter > properties of materials > temperature > [noun] > at which some specific condition occurs
freezing-point1748
boiling-point1773
absolute zero1798
firing point1807
melting temperature1827
ice point1832
dew-point1833
melting point1838
neutral temperature1854
fusing point or temperature1860
welding point1868
flashing-point1878
flashpoint1878
mp1880
ignition temperature1881
silver-point1882
fire point1884
ignition point1887
neutral point1892
smoking point1915
smoking temperature1915
pour point1922
smoke point1933
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > competitive shooting > [noun] > shooting-range > position for firing
score1513
firing point1807
1807 tr. Syst. Discipline & Manœuvres Infantry 177 in W. Duane Amer. Mil. Libr. (1809) I. In line the wings, or outermost divisions..are quarter faced in front as at M N retaining their dress in front, but faced to the firing point.
1814 New Monthly Mag. Dec. 447/2 The presence of inflammable gas..through all its gradations to the firing point, is readily discovered by an experienced collier.
1855 Instr. Musketry 33 A red flag..will invariably be answered by the bugler at the firing point, by sounding the ‘Cease fire’.
1878 R. Hunt & F. W. Rudler Ure's Dict. Arts (ed. 7) IV. 570 Mineral oil, one or two degrees above the standard firing-point, may, if stored in a populous locality, cause sad disaster.
1932 J. A. Barlow Elements Rifle Shooting iii. 38 The register keeper at the firing-point then shouts out the firer's name and the value of his shot.
1986 T. Clancy Red Storm Rising (1988) xxvi. 428 The German missileers in the village skillfully changed firing points after every shot.
2008 Business Wire (Nexis) 23 June Biodiesel fuel has a higher firing point than that of light gas oil, which enables complete combustion.
firing position n. (a) the position in which a gun is held in order to fire it correctly; (b) a position from which a person fires a gun.
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society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > action of propelling missile > discharge of firearms > [noun] > position of gun in firing
range1669
firing position1802
port1833
1802 C. James New Mil. Dict. at Sling The musquet being released from these restraints,..the whole is carried with very little assistance from either hand, and is instantly brought to a firing position.
1805 T. O'Neill Treat. Eighteen Manœuvres 60 The centre rank man..regains his firing position by placing his left foot a moderate pace to the left.
1922 Encycl. Brit. XXXI. 1184/1 The recuperator returns the gun to the firing position after it has come to rest under the action of the recoil resistance.
2010 Vancouver Province (Nexis) 9 May (Final ed.) a26 (caption) A Canadian soldier takes up a firing position in a Taliban-ridden area.
firing range n. (a) the maximum distance to which a weapon will shoot (also figurative); frequently in within firing range; (b) a place or piece of ground designed to be used for shooting practice.
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society > armed hostility > drill or training > [noun] > weapon-training > firing practice > range
rocket range1814
firing range1833
practice range1840
range1840
gun-range1852
society > armed hostility > drill or training > [noun] > weapon-training > firing practice > place for firing practice
firing line1854
rifle range1857
range1873
shooting-range1908
firing range2004
1833 Cry to Ireland & Empire viii. 179 This toleration should be succeeded by liberality and reward to all, who, though not within the fortress, were within the firing range of the danger.
1861 Hampshire Advertiser 30 Nov. 2/4 The men have had, up to the present moment, no firing range, no target, no prizes. It has been drill, and all drill, without change.
1872 Galaxy July 142/2 Clergymen do not often come within firing range.
1888 Marine Engineer Oct. 240/2 Six 6 in. breechloaders..all possessing great firing range.
1992 Canad. Geographic Jan. 20/1 Any that surfaced within firing range were met by a volley of stones from our slingshots.
2004 E. Conlon Blue Blood viii. 289 One guy failed to qualify on the firing range.
firing squad n. (a) a group of soldiers detailed to fire the salute at a military funeral; (b) a group of soldiers or law enforcement officers detailed to execute a person by shooting him or her.
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society > authority > punishment > capital punishment > [noun] > firing squad
firing squad1861
death squad1873
the world > life > death > obsequies > people involved in funeral > [noun] > firing-party
firing party1768
firing squad1861
society > armed hostility > armed forces > the Army > group with special function or duty > [noun] > firing-party
firing party1768
firing squad1861
1861 Freedom's Champion (Atchison, Kansas) 8 June A firing squad of five from each company of the 24th Regiment also fired three volleys over the grave.
1867 Salt Lake Daily Tel. 15 Aug. 1/7 It has been the not unpleasant duty of a corporal or private among the savages of the firing squad to walk deliberately up to the writhing victim and complete the work.
1921 Foreign Service July 20/1 Their everreadiness and willingness at any time to supply firing squads and buglers in solemn tribute to dead veterans of the State.
1959 T. S. Eliot Elder Statesman i. 27 The ones who don't get out in time Find themselves in gaol..Or before a firing squad.
1980 Orange Coast Mag. Jan. 69/3 Gary Gilmore, a convicted murderer, was executed by firing squad in Utah as he had requested.
2003 Guardian 26 Apr. (Guide Suppl.) 53/1 Her courage held all the way to the firing squad.
firing step n. Military (now chiefly historical) a step or ledge in a trench on which soldiers stand when firing; = fire-step n. at fire n. and int. Compounds 2a.
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society > armed hostility > defence > defensive work(s) > earthwork or rampart > [noun] > parapet > firing platform
foot bench?1575
foot bank1618
banquette1629
step1672
tread1834
firing step1899
fire-step1915
1899 C. de Witt Willcox French-Eng. Mil. Techn. Dict. 207/1 Gradins de fusillade, firing steps of a parapet.
1916 ‘B. Cable’ Action Front 254 He..leaped on the firing step, and hurled himself over after him.
2014 Independent on Sat. (S. Afr.) (Nexis) 12 July 8 Marwick has plans to recreate one of those trenches on the school grounds, complete with a firing step, parapet and duckboards.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2015; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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