double-barrelled

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double-barrelled

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From double- + barrelled.. Extended senses derived humorously from the literal sense of a double-barrelled gun.

adjective double-barrel

  1. not comparable Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see double, barrelled. Having two barrels, as a gun.
  2. not comparable Twofold, having a double purpose or nature. Alexander Taylor, a native of Stonehaven who in the later forties went to Edinburgh, where he enjoyed a double-barrelled reputation as a rhymester and as an astronomer.
  3. not comparable, of names Having two separate parts, often adjoined by a hyphen (or sometimes a space). Almost unbelievably, some authors have formed the erroneous conception that ‘Hobson-Jobson’ is actually the double-barrelled surname of the dictionary’s editor.

    Similar: hyphenated

  4. figuratively, not comparable Forceful, powerful (like a double-barrelled shotgun). When the sheriff arrested [Lucy Hicks Anderson] one night, her double-barrelled reputation paid off—Charles Donlon, the town's leading banker, promptly bailed her out. Reason: He had scheduled a huge dinner party, which would have collapsed dismally with Lucy In gaol.

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adj having two barrels, as a gun

हिन्दीदुनाली dunālī

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MLA

"double-barrelled." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/double-barrelled. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

double-barrelled. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/double-barrelled

Chicago

"double-barrelled." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/double-barrelled.

BibTeX
@misc{double_barrelled_2026,
  title = {double-barrelled},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/double-barrelled},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}