rifle shotn.
/ˈrʌɪfl ʃɒt/, U.S. /ˈraɪf(ə)l ˌʃɑt/ 1. Rifle fire; a shot fired with a rifle.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > action of propelling missile > discharge of firearms > use or operation of small arms > [noun] > discharge of rifles > rifle-shot
rifle shot1780
crack1849
1780 J. Burgoyne State Exped. from Canada 130 There was not a spot to be found in the whole position which was not exposed to cannon or rifle shot.
1800 E. Walsh Narr. Exped. to Holland 67 Its gallant colonel, the marquis of Huntley, was struck with a rifle-shot in the shoulder.
1837 W. Irving Adventures Capt. Bonneville I. viii. 160 There were the remains of the rude fortress in the swamp, shattered by rifle shot.
1876 R. L. Stevenson in Cornhill Mag. May 557 Out of the thick of the trees, comes the jar of rifle-shots.
1942 W. Faulkner Go down, Moses & Other Stories 193 Rifle shots delivered at point-blank range.
1993 I. Doig Heart Earth (1994) 124 Rifleshots break out on the mountain behind us. KuhWOW! KuhWOW-kuhWOW-kuhWOW.
2000 J. Harris Blackberry Wine (2001) xxii. 112 Another two rifle shots sounded, followed by Zeth's ululating war cry.
2. The distance which may be covered by a shot from a rifle. Also occasionally as a count noun.
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the world > space > distance > [noun] > limit of distance or reach > to which a thing may be shot > specific
bowshotc1300
bow-draughtc1400
buck-shot1447
flight-shot1455
gun-shot1532
bird bolt shot1570
cannon shot?1571
pistol shot1608
bolt's-shoot1677
rifle shot1803
gun-reach1825
rifle range1830
gun-range1852
1803 A. Ellicott Jrnl. 249 We anchored about rifle shot from the sloop.
1816 Niles' Reg. 9 Suppl. 190/2 The schooner now thought it prudent to claw off, and had just escaped out of rifle shot.
1841 C. Dickens Old Curiosity Shop ii. li. 81 The Wilderness..was within rifle-shot of his bachelor retreat.
1871 C. Kingsley At Last II. xvii. 301 Threading our way between them, sometimes not a rifle-shot from the cliffs.
1900 Times 26 Apr. 5/3 We still keep the Boers practically out of rifle shot of the town.
1953 M. Sandoz Cheyenne Autumn iii. 45 Astride their horses the Cheyenne warriors watched from the bluffs on each side, standing out boldly against the windy sky, in easy rifle shot.
1998 Economist (Nexis) 20 June The pro-independence Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), drawing on its broad popularity, now has fighters within rifle-shot of the north-south Pristina-Prizren road.
3. Usually with modifying word: a person who is skilled in shooting with a rifle.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > warrior > armed man > [noun] > one armed with or using firearm > one bearing or using handgun > rifle
hunter1753
rifleman1764
rifler1775
shirtman1775
jäger1776
yager1804
rifle shot1826
bersagliere1862
1826 J. B. Fraser Trav. & Adventures Persian Provinces xxii. 325 They can bring into the field fourteen thousand capital matchlockmen, all of whom are said to be equal to the best rifle-shots as marksmen.
1850 R. Gordon-Cumming Five Years Hunter's Life S. Afr. I. iii. 69 I have always been reckoned..to be a very fair rifle-shot.
1869 J. Ruskin Queen of Air i. §36 If there be any good rifleshots here, they know something about Athena's parrying.
1921 Forest & Stream May 214/1 It is often asserted that the expert rifle shot is the product of natural aptitude.
1993 Beaver Oct.–Nov. 3/1 He was considered..to be one of the best snowshoe walkers in the service, was an excellent rifle-shot and could stand an immense amount of fatigue.
2001 Times 8 June i. 25/2 A distinguished rifle shot, he captained the Great Britain rifle team and represented Scotland for fifty years.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2010; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1780