BB gun
16
3.6
- noun
- /ˈbiˈbi ˌɡʌn/
:
pistola de balines
- I used them for BB gun practice.
If he doesn't get that BB gun, OK, his Christmas will be ruined.
- If he doesn't get that BB gun, OK, his Christmas will be ruined.
- I mean, I slept with a, a Glock BB gun underneath my pillow.
Examples
-
I have a BB gun.
-
Billy clutched at his Red Ryder BB gun, the plastic stock slippery with sweat.
Fiction book (1998) -
You want me to get my BB gun?
-
His father taught him how to shoot the BB gun.
Fiction book (2000) -
When I was nine years old, my father bought me a Daisy BB gun for Christmas.
Fiction book (1999) -
The thing is, Steve has a BB gun, and he won't let me play with it when I want.
Academic text (2009) -
Popolo had his BB gun with him, and he and the others were shooting at things as they walked.
Academic text (2006) -
That's a BB gun.
-
Little Lefty has got his BB gun and nothing—not even weather—can get him.
Fiction book (2000) -
When I was nine years old, my father bought me a Daisy BB gun for Christmas.
Synonyms
3
3.7
A gun that uses compressed air to fire small pellets
1
3.1
A device that shoots small pellets using compressed air instead of gunpowder
1
4.1
A gun that uses air or gas to fire small pellets
How Powerful
Surface Forms
Morphology
Given knowledge of 'BB' (a small steel pellet) and 'gun' (a firearm), the compound 'BB gun' is directly interpretable as a gun that fires BBs. The forming pattern 'X gun' (a gun that fires or uses X) is transparent and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the parts will understand the meaning.
Etymology
BB gun gets its name from the small metal balls called BBs that the gun shoots. One popular story says the letters 'BB' named a size of shot used in early guns, so a gun that shot those little balls became a BB gun, which is why the name now means an air gun that fires small metal pellets.