Thompson submachine gun
1
8.1
- noun
- /ˈtɑːmpsən ˌsʌbməˈʃin ɡʌn/
:
subfusil Thompson
- The United States Military, indeed, adopted the 10.5-inch Thompson submachine gun in 1928.
Examples
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He carried a Thompson submachine gun during the raid, which was standard for military personnel at that time.
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The police found a Thompson submachine gun among the evidence at the crime scene, highlighting its notorious use by criminals.
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During World War II, soldiers often preferred the Thompson submachine gun for its reliability and firepower.
Synonyms
8
4.6
A small automatic weapon that uses pistol bullets
2
8.2
A short, powerful automatic gun used by soldiers and criminals in the early 1900s
Surface Forms
Morphology
Thompson + submachine + gun
The phrase is a straightforward noun phrase: a proper name ('Thompson') modifying a class noun ('submachine gun'), so a learner who knows the constituents will infer it denotes a particular type or model of gun. Detailed historical or technical facts (caliber, fame) are encyclopedic extras, but the core meaning — a specific kind of firearm — is directly compositional and therefore readily understandable.
Etymology
Thompson submachine gun was named after the man who invented it, inventor Thompson, and it was one of the first small automatic submachine guns that could fire many bullets quickly. Because it was easy to use in close fighting, both soldiers and criminals used it a lot, so the famous image of the 'Tommy gun' explains why the name now means that particular kind of gun.