thunderstick

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Noun

thunderstick (plural thundersticks)

1. A gun or cannon, especially a rifle.

   Synonyms: fire-stick

   The man pointed his thunderstick at the buffalo, and with a great noise and fire, the buffalo fell down dead.

   We sneaked into the soldiers' camp, and stole five thundersticks.

   • 1904 W.A. Fraser, "The Narrative of Buffalo and Bison," Metropolitan, vol. 20, no. 11, pages 195–196:

     ...the Men, when they hunt us with their arrows or a thunder-stick which strikes with a loud noise...

   • 1931 He Dog, interviewed by Mari Sandoz (John Colhoff, interpreter), in The Beaver Men: Spearheads of Empire (University of Nebraska Press, 1964):

     Two men with beards... carrying thundersticks... were in the village above...

   • 1938 Mark Raymond Harrington, The Indians of New Jersey: Dickon among the Lenapes:

     We have heard that they have magic thunder sticks; that all they need do is point the stick at a man and thunder and lightning comes out of it and the man dies.

   • 1985 Gary Larson, "Bride of the Far Side":

     (Two bears discussing a rifle found lying on the ground): Thunderstick? ...You actually said 'Thunderstick?'... That, my friend, is a Winchester 30.06.

   • 2010 Our Story: Aboriginal Voices on Canada's Past:

     ...the captain of the vessel ordered a crew member to fire the thunderstick, as ancestors called the gun.

     Word of bearded White men and their thundersticks was carried inland to other Indians.

2. A narrow plastic balloon that is used as a promotional noise maker by hitting one against another.

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