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half cock

1

[ haf kok ]

noun

  1. the position of the hammer of a firearm when held halfway to the fully retracted position by a mechanism that prevents it from being released and firing the gun when the trigger is pulled. Compare full cock ( def ).


half-cock

2

[ haf-kok, hahf- ]

verb (used with object)

  1. to set the hammer of (a firearm) at half cock.

half-cock

noun

  1. on a single-action firearm, a halfway position in which the hammer can be set for safety; in this position the trigger is cocked by the hammer which cannot reach the primer to fire the weapon
  2. go off at half-cock or go off half-cocked
    1. to fail as a result of inadequate preparation or premature starting
    2. to act or function prematurely
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Word History and Origins

Origin of half cock1

First recorded in 1695–1705

Origin of half cock2

First recorded in 1825–35
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Example Sentences

The hammer of the Tennesseean's pistol stopped at half-cock.

He saw Stacy not thirty yards before him with his rifle at half-cock.

They get smart raps from the coastguard chaps with their blunderbuss fixed half-cock.

Like a gun discharged at half-cock, the ball leaped from his hand and came whistling toward the batter.

There is no putting to half-cock but only slipping the safety on or off.

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half-closedhalf-cocked