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Guns, hunting earn special place in our language

By Walt Young

For the Mirror

Recently, while chatting with a longtime friend, he referred to a mutual acquaintance of ours as a “straight shooter.”

That reference was intended as a compliment, of course, but not about that fellow’s skill as a marksman but rather his character. Straight shooter has long been an idiom for an honest and forthright person, someone who speaks honestly and plainly. Therefore, being called a “straight shooter” by friends and colleagues can indeed be considered high praise.

As a writer, I’ve always had a necessary fascination for the meanings and origins of so many of the words and figures of speech that make up the enormous language of American English. Reflecting on the use of “straight shooter” as a praiseworthy character reference, some other interesting facts occurred to me.

One of those was that at some point in our history, being a good shot was considered as important as being a good person. In the reality of the times, owning and being proficient with a gun was more than recreation; being able to shoot often meant putting food on the table or protecting your life and property. Further evidence of how deep-seated the presence of guns has affected our culture is the many more commonly used idioms and metaphors derived from guns and how they operate.

Several well-known firearms phrases relate all the way back to the flintlock muzzleloaders in widespread use during the seventeenth century until the mid-nineteenth century. The most obvious of those is “lock, stock and barrel,” which means “all,” “total” or “everything” and are the three basic components of a muzzleloading rifle. The lock is the firing mechanism, and the stock is the wooden framework the holds the lock and gun barrel.

Most folks understand the phrase “flash in the pan” means something or someone that starts with much promise or potential but doesn’t endure or amounts to very little. But unless someone understands how a flintlock rifle works, that same person would probably have no idea where that phrase came from. As an oversimplified explanation, the lock, or firing mechanism, of a flintlock has a hammer the holds a piece of flint. The hammer is cocked back. When the trigger is pulled, the hammer falls forward to strike a piece of metal called the “frizzen.” Contact with the frizzen sends a small shower of sparks to the priming pan or flash pan, which is a small pan mounted next to the barrel that holds a small charge of black powder. Next to the priming pan is the touchhole, which is a small vent to the main powder charge seated inside the barrel.

The sparks from the frizzen ignite the powder in the priming pan that, in turn, sends fire through the touchhole to ignite the main powder charge and fire the rifle. But as most folks who have done any amount of shooting with a flintlock are well aware, every trigger pull does not result in a shot fired. Sometimes the flint does not generate a proper spark, or the priming powder ignites without igniting the main powder charge, hence the result is merely a flash in the pan rather than a shot fired.

If someone is said “to go off half-cocked,” it means they started something before they were ready or by accident. This one, too, takes a little knowledge of how a flintlock operates. As previously mentioned, the hammer must be cocked to fire the rifle. As a safety measure, the hammer on most flintlocks has a half-cock position that disengages the trigger to help prevent an accidental discharge.

Like any mechanical device, however, it is not 100 percent foolproof, and if bumped or otherwise handed carelessly, the gun can go off half-cocked.

The admonition to “keep your powder dry” generally means to “conserve your resources” or “to be ready for a future problem.” This is a reference to the fact that black powder becomes useless when exposed to moisture. There is a well-authenticated quote from Oliver Cromwell as he was preparing to lead his troops across a river during the English Civil War in 1856: “Trust in God and keep your powder dry.”

I’m sure there are plenty of folks who have never shot a gun in their life but have “set their sights” on some goal or idea. Or who hasn’t “shot from the hip” regarding some situation where they didn’t take the time or effort to consider their actions? All these are just a few examples, and I’m sure there are dozens of other gun-related sayings in common use. Hunting has also generated some phrases that apply to life outside the sport.

I suppose we all have been “loaded for bear” at some point. That is, ready for any eventuality or challenge” or “prepared to deal with criticism or to fight.” Sooner or later we all run into something that doesn’t perform as expected and sum it up by saying, “That dog won’t hunt.” Or when you find you have been searching for an answer in the wrong place, it again becomes time to blame the dog who is “barking up the wrong tree.”

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