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Discussion Groups / English Usage / September 2010Question:with the report of a minor piece of artillery.
Question:with the report of a minor piece of artillery. 1) it means --"with a sudden loud noise made by a rifle/ a gun"? Sentence: DE MORTUIS by John Collier ... At this moment of supreme concentration, the porch door upstairs slammed with the report of a minor piece of artillery, which, appropriately enough, caused Dr. Rankin to jump as if he had been shot.... >Question:with the report of a minor piece of artillery. > > 1) it means --"with a sudden loud noise made by a rifle/ a gun"? An artillery piece (or piece of artillery) is not a hand-held weapon. http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/artillery artillery Large-caliber weapons, such as cannon, howitzers, and missile launchers, that are operated by crews. >Sentence: > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >appropriately enough, caused Dr. Rankin to jump as if he had been >shot....  SignaturePeter Duncanson, UK (in alt.english.usage) > Question:with the report of a minor piece of artillery. > > 1) it means --"with a sudden loud noise made by a rifle/ a gun"? Yes. The language used is not entirely serious, but Collier often wrote from an ironically humorous point of view. > Sentence: > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > appropriately enough, caused Dr. Rankin to jump as if he had been > shot.... On Sep 28, 3:00 am, "ingul...@hotmail.com" <ingul...@hotmail.com> wrote: > Question:with the report of a minor piece of artillery. > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > appropriately enough, caused Dr. Rankin to jump as if he had been > shot.... I wouldn't consider a rifle or gun a minor piece of artillery; I believe he's referring to a small cannon, which would be much louder than a rifle. Paul |
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