half cock
noun
1
: the position of the hammer of a firearm when about half retracted and held by the sear so that it cannot be operated by a pull on the trigger
2
chiefly British : a state of inadequate preparation or mental confusion
go off at half cock
Word History
First Known Use
1745, in the meaning defined at sense 1
- Swedish juniper
- Swedish lilywood
- Swedish massage
- Swedish movements
- Swedish nightingale
- swedish punch
- Swedish punsch
- Swedish sumac
- Swedish turnip
- swedisher
- swedishes
- swedishest
- sweel
- Sweelinck
- Sweeney layout
- sweeneys
- sweenies
- sweep
- sweep (away)
- sweep (someone) off his/her feet
- sweep (something) under the carpet
- sweep (something) under the rug
- sweep aside
- sweep away
- sweep check