small arms


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small arms

pl n
(Firearms, Gunnery, Ordnance & Artillery) portable firearms of relatively small calibre
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

small arms

Man portable, individual, and crew-served weapon systems used mainly against personnel and lightly armored or unarmored equipment.
Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms. US Department of Defense 2005.
Translations
أسْلِحَه خَفيفَه
ruční zbraně
håndvåben
kézi fegyverek
handvopn
ručné zbrane
hafif silâh

small arms

nplarmi fpl leggere
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

small

(smoːl) adjective
1. little in size, degree, importance etc; not large or great. She was accompanied by a small boy of about six; There's only a small amount of sugar left; She cut the meat up small for the baby.
2. not doing something on a large scale. He's a small businessman.
3. little; not much. You have small reason to be satisfied with yourself.
4. (of the letters of the alphabet) not capital. The teacher showed the children how to write a capital G and a small g.
small ads
advertisements in the personal columns of a newspaper.
small arms
weapons small and light enough to be carried by a man. They found a hoard of rifles and other small arms belonging to the rebels.
small change
coins of small value. a pocketful of small change.
small hours
the hours immediately after midnight. He woke up in the small hours.
ˈsmallpox noun
a type of serious infectious disease in which there is a severe rash of large, pus-filled spots that usually leave scars.
small screen
television, not the cinema. This play is intended for the small screen.
ˈsmall-time adjective
(of a thief etc) not working on a large scale. a small-time crook/thief.
feel/look small
to feel or look foolish or insignificant. He criticized her in front of her colleagues and made her feel very small.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
References in classic literature ?
It may, however, be mentioned that mere inventors of revolvers, fire-shooting carbines, and similar small arms, met with little consideration.
The dugouts came for us right along in an attempt to board us, but by keeping on the move in one direction and circling, we managed to avoid getting in each other's way, and were enabled to fire our cannon and our small arms with less danger to our own comrades.
When his force had come to a halt he dismounted, threw down his spear and small arms, and came around the end of the incubator toward me, entirely unarmed and as naked as I, except for the ornaments strapped upon his head, limbs, and breast.
"Well, I guess that clears matters up," said Tom, as he looked over a collection of rifles and small arms, to decide which to take.
The cannon-shot was followed after a considerable interval by a volley of small arms.
A volley of small arms was much more likely to do the business some day - or night.
He said readily, that the way was to keep them off with our great shot as long as we could, and then to use our small arms, to keep them from boarding us; but when neither of these would do any longer, we would retire to our close quarters, for perhaps they had not materials to break open our bulkheads, or get in upon us.
All these he ordered to be loaded with musket-balls, nails, and pieces of old iron, and then fired them, and the small arms of the ship, among the natives.
She clutched the handle with both hands, while the child, astride her hip, held on to her with both small arms part way about her.
"Yes," said Marner, docilely, bringing his eyes very close, that they might be initiated in the mysteries; whereupon Baby seized his head with both her small arms, and put her lips against his face with purring noises.
For three days thereafter we could hear the cannonading and the spitting of the small arms, for the battle line was scarce two leagues from New Gondar.
"Pennsylvania Small Arms Company--well-known American firm," said Holmes.

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