manual of arms
- noun
- Jargon
:
manual de armas
- He was a farmer, but he had served in the Russian army, and my mother can remember him demonstrating the manual of arms with a broom.
Examples
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The instructor demonstrated the manual of arms, showing the cadets how to present their rifles accurately.
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During training, the recruits practiced the manual of arms to learn proper rifle handling.
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But first, you'll have to learn to march in step... ...do the manual of arms without having to think.
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Now, Sergeant Shattuck will take you in the manual of arms.
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He is teaching us the manual of arms in only ten motions.
Fiction book (1994) -
Before the parade, the soldiers rehearsed the manual of arms to ensure they executed the movements flawlessly.
Synonyms
22
7.9
A set of drill movements soldiers practice for training and ceremony
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally built from 'manual' (a handbook) + 'of' (linker) + 'arms' (weapons), so a learner who knows the words can infer it is a handbook or set of instructions concerning weapons or their handling. Although it is a specialized military term referring specifically to drill movements, that specific sense is a predictable extension of a manual about arms and thus accessible to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Manual of arms comes from a simple image: manual means 'hand' and arms means 'weapons', so the phrase names the set of hand movements used to handle a rifle. That's why Manual of arms means a set drill that soldiers use to hold, move, and present their rifles.