open fire
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English
[edit]Pronunciation
[edit]Audio (General Australian): (file)
Verb
[edit]open fire (third-person singular simple present opens fire, present participle opening fire, simple past and past participle opened fire)
- (idiomatic) To begin firing (weapons) at something or someone.
- In warfare, whoever opens fire first has a greater chance of victory.
- 2011, James D. Hornfischer, “28: Into the Light”, in Neptune's Inferno: The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal[1], New York: Bantam Books, →ISBN, retrieved 21 November 2022, pages 273–274:
- The Atlanta was swinging through her own turn to avoid a collision with the van when the searchlight, probably from the destroyer Akatsuki, lit upon her from abaft the port beam. Captain Jenkins reacted as commanders had been trained in peacetime: "Counter-illuminate!" he shouted. His gunnery officer, Lieutenant Commander William R. D. Nickelson, Jr., preferred to respond with other hardware. At once he shouted into his headset mike: "Fuck that! Open fire!" His assistant, Lloyd Mustin, was recording accurate ranges from the narrowcasting fire-control radar and didn't need help from other wavelengths. "Action port. Illuminating ship is target," he instructed his gun captains. Mustin, controlling the after trio of five-inch mounts, and Nickelson slewed their directors onto the lights and opened fire immediately.
Translations
[edit]to begin firing at something or someone
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Noun
[edit]open fire (plural open fires)
- An uncovered fire.
- We roasted chestnuts over an open fire.
Translations
[edit]uncovered fire
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