retarded blowback
- noun
- /rɪˈtɑrdɪd ˈbloʊbæk/
- Specialized
:
retroceso retardado
- Designers chose retarded blowback to handle higher-pressure cartridges safely.
Examples
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The firearm uses a retarded blowback mechanism to control the rate of fire.
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Some submachine guns are famous for their reliable retarded blowback systems.
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The retarded blowback system enhances accuracy.
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Many firearms use a retarded blowback mechanism.
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Designers chose retarded blowback to handle higher-pressure cartridges safely.
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The firearm uses a retarded blowback mechanism to control the rate of fire.
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Some submachine guns are famous for their reliable retarded blowback systems.
Synonyms
A gun system where the bolt is not fully locked and opens later after firing
Surface Forms
Morphology
The constituents 'retard' (to slow) and 'blowback' (gases pushed back to cycle a firearm) combine to give the straightforward sense of 'slowed blowback', so a learner who knows both words can infer the general idea. However, the precise mechanical nuance (the bolt must overcome initial resistance yet is not fully locked) is specialized technical information not predictable from the words alone, so the expression is only partially transparent to a B1 learner.
Etymology
The noun retarded blowback comes from a simple image: retarded means 'slowed' and blowback is the 'back push' of gas on the moving part of a gun. Imagine a heavy door a strong wind tries to push but a chain holds for a moment, and that short delay is why the term means a gun system where the moving part must overcome a first resistance before it moves.
