pistol grip
3
5.5
- noun
- /ˈpɪstəl ɡrɪp/
- Specialized
:
empuñadura tipo pistola
- The drill is designed with a comfortable pistol grip for better control during use.
Examples
-
Pistol grips, however, are not particularly well-suited to accurate positioning, according to David Chastain, a program manager at Cambridge Consultants, a product design firm.
Academic text (2011) -
Chang hissed, and the knuckles of his hand whitened on the pistol grip.
Fiction book (1990) -
Having a pistol grip on my shotgun doesn't make it any more or less dangerous.
Blog text (28) -
With the new colors, the device still looks pretty realistic, except for the colorful control buttons on the pistol grip.
Blog text (32) -
It's an easy enough problem to address, but instead we're busy arguing about bullet buttons and pistol grips.
Blog text (6) -
He allowed the fingers of his right hand to brush the pistol grip beneath his jacket.
Fiction book (2001) -
This gun would be perfectly legal with the pistol grip, flash hider, adjustable stock, and 30-round magazine.
Blog text (30) -
As Phil approaches the groundhog display, he reaches into his overcoat and pulls out a pump shotgun with a short pistol grip.
Fiction book (1993) -
Chemayev inched his hand beneath the flap of his jacket, touched the pistol grip with his fingertips.
Fiction book (2001) -
That's a double-barreled, sawed-off Ithaca shotgun with a carved pistol grip stock wrapped with adhesive tape.
Fiction book (1990)
Synonyms
211
1.0
The part of an object you hold to carry or use it
32
1.0
The part of an object shaped to fit the hand
6
3.0
A part of something you grab with your hand for support, like a rail
1
3.0
A part of a thing you hold with your hand to carry or use
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a handle shaped like the grip of a pistol' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'pistol' and 'grip' — a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it refers to the hand-held part that resembles a pistol's grip. This is a productive noun–noun compound following regular composition patterns (common across languages), so the sense is immediately accessible from the constituents.
Etymology
Pistol grip comes from the image of a gun handle: the words pistol and grip describe a handle shaped like a pistol so you can hold it like a gun. That's why 'pistol grip' means a handle made to be held in 'one hand' for better control and comfort.