stove-pipe

stove-pipe
 n.— «Soldiers call it a “stove-pipe.” It happens rarely, and usually in the very worst of combat circumstances: the soldier is fatally hit just as he is firing his handgun. In the split second when his weapon fires, the wounded soldier suddenly loosens his hold on the gun, what’s known as a “dead man’s grip.” Instead of a rigid hand taking the recoil, the handgun absorbs all the force, and the extraction and ejection mechanism fails. The spent bullet cartridge will jam—or “stovepipe”—upright, partially ejected from the pistol’s breach.» —“A very private death” by Paul Daley The Bulletin (Australia) Sept. 20, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)

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Further reading

Punny Names From 1916

In 1916, a small-town newspaper in Pennsylvania printed a fanciful item about a local gathering with a guest list that included, among others, Miss Ella Vader, Mr. Ray Zor, and other punny names. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...