| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 44.1 | GUN-ILDA??? | AKOV12::LORENTZEN | | Thu Dec 07 1989 15:28 | 17 |
| What? No guesses?
This sounds wild but I read it in the newspaper so it has to be true.
Right? 8-)
It seems that during the middle ages it was common practice to name
weapons after women. (Jeez, I guess we still do!) Anyway, the Vikings
had one especially large, obnoxious cannon that they were dragging
around Europe and using to make life miserable for the English, French
and anybody else they happened to run across. The reputation of the
beast spread rapidly and it's name was Gunilda. Later this was
shortened to gun and came to be applied to almost everything that goes
bang.
Well, it sounds good if you say it real fast! 8-)
Len
|
| 44.2 | | SAC::PHILPOTT_I | Col I F 'Tsingtao Dhum' Philpott | Fri Dec 08 1989 08:38 | 15 |
|
Well my dictionary agrees with your newspaper.
From the Random House Dictionary:
gun [ME gunne, gonne, apparently short for Gunilda (L) gonnyld (ME) name for
an engine of war; cf. Icel Gunna, short for Gunnhildr, a woman's name]
Another source gives the variation: from gonad (L) - because of a perceived
similarity of shape between a pistol and [male] genitalia.
Either way it appears that the moderns are not the only ones to see something
sexual about firearms.
/. Ian .\
|
| 44.3 | Modern muzzle loader | EARRTH::FIRTH | | Tue Dec 12 1989 04:11 | 5 |
| Since we are on a trivia question dealing with "gun",
try this one.
What is the only muzzle loaded weapon currently
used by the Infantry?
|
| 44.4 | | SAC::PHILPOTT_I | Col I F 'Tsingtao Dhum' Philpott | Tue Dec 12 1989 08:52 | 5 |
| Grenade launcher?
Mortar?
/. Ian .\
|
| 44.5 | 60mm, 81mm, 4.2in | MPGS::MCCLURE | Why Me??? | Tue Dec 12 1989 18:42 | 4 |
| Mortar is correct, but there's more than one kind.
Grenade launchers (M79 & M203) are breech loaded. The round has
a rimmed case.
|