Tommy gun

noun

1. Thompson submachine gun.
2. any submachine gun.

Tommy gun

noun

1. an informal name for Thompson sub-machine-gun

Word History and Origins

Origin of Tommy gun¹

First recorded in 1920–25; by shortening

Example Sentences

He’ll take fire from several Tommy guns and flee a Klan rally.

From New York Times

It found that the product's bottle, which is shaped like a Thompson submachine gun - commonly known as a Tommy gun - created "a direct link between the drink and a dangerous weapon".

From BBC

Other historical targets of regulation have included long-bladed Bowie knives and the Thompson submachine gun, or Tommy gun, popular with gangsters in the years after World War I.

From Washington Times

The time is 1929, a time of bootleggers and Tommy guns, and Velma has, as they used to say, done her man wrong.

From Los Angeles Times

There’s no Tommy gun showdown with the killer in this story, no chase through tunnels or urban alleys and no triumphant clacking of handcuffs on the wrists of a guilty maniac.

From New York Times

Related Words

• submachine gun