Definition of starting pistol in US English:
starting pistol
nounstärdiNG ˈpistlstɑrdɪŋ ˈpɪstl
A pistol used to give the signal for the start of a race.
Example sentencesExamples
- And as soon as the starting pistol was fired readers raced to the telephone and email to put me in the picture.
- Embu fired the starting pistol on its entertainment entry last May.
- Police were today investigating after an Olympic starting pistol was thrown over a wall into Chelmsford Prison.
- The bill amends provisions relating to the importation of firearms, parts of firearms, restricted weapons, starting pistols, and ammunition.
- President Bush has fired the starting pistol on a new arms race.
- The gun is thought to be a starting pistol or blank-firing replica.
- The woman who fired the starting pistol is Janet Reuben - she's English - who is chief executive of Ayrshire and Arran Tourist Board.
- The weapon he sold me was a pistol - just an ordinary starting pistol that you can buy in any sport shop, but it had been converted.
- Officers also recovered a starting pistol with ammunition and two imitation firearms.
- A student firing a starting pistol dashed towards the Prince at an open air event in Sydney.
- It is feared that ‘minor’ criminals such as muggers are arming themselves with starting pistols and other legally-bought guns, which are then altered to become lethal weapons.
- Prosecutor Gavin Howie explained how the offences came to light after Customs officers at Dover became suspicious about a package containing a blank-firing starting pistol.
- The starting pistol has been fired in the race to find brilliant businesses in the borough.
- As Tony Blair fired the starting pistol today, months after the runners hared off down the campaign trail, the public met the news with a weary shrug of resignation.
- The 29-year-old rally star came out from behind the wheel to fire the starting pistol on a new series of The Discovery Channel's Thunder Races 2 with co-presenter Adrian Simpson.
- Irate, he returned some hours later with a gun, which turned out to be a starting pistol.
- Motson, for instance, will now almost certainly be rethinking the wisdom of his decision to fire the starting pistol for the main race.
- But Celtic have heard only one gun all season: the SPL starting pistol back in July.
- The decision by internet search engine Google to file for an initial public offering will be the starting pistol for a new boom in technology shares.
- Months of speculation were about to end today as Prime Minister Tony Blair was expected to fire the starting pistol on the General Election campaign.