Tonight we saw "The Merry Wives of Windsor" at the Hampshire Shakespeare Company. I hadn't read or seen this play before and there's a comic relief character in it named "Pistol."
I was wondering if this was the origin of the word that has come to mean a "jokester" - a funny guy. I can't seem to find confirmation on the web but it seems as good an explanation as any.
pistol (plural pistols)
ReplyDeleteA handgun, typically with a chamber integrated in the barrel, a semi-automatic action and a box magazine.
The mechanical component of a fuse in a bomb or torpedo responsible for firing the detonator.
A creative and unpredictable jokester, a constant source of entertainment and surprises. [quotations ▼]
(Southern US) A small boy who is bright, alert and very active.
(American football) A play formation in which the quarterback is a few feet behind the center when the ball is snapped, but closer than in a shotgun formation, with a running back a few feet behind him. [quotations ▼]
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pistol