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Northwest gun
DCHP-1 (pre-1967)
Entry from the DCHP-1 (pre-1967)
This entry may contain outdated or offensive information, terms, and examples.
n. — Hist.
a light musket carried as trading goods by the North West Company.
Quotations
1791
Suspecting the bad spirit was still in them, and that they were only gone a short distance to drink the rum, we prepared for an attack, loading twenty eight north-west guns and a brace of pistols, and sat down by the fire expecting their return to compleat the design my fortunate arrival had hitherto prevented.
1956
Insofar as I have been able to determine, the name "North West gun" first came into use among traders in western Canada and the United States about the year 1800.