Torpedo : (noun)
1: a professional killer who uses a gun [syn: gunman, gunslinger,
hired gun, gun, gun for hire, triggerman, hit
man, hitman, shooter]
2: a large sandwich made of a long crusty roll split lengthwise
and filled with meats and cheese (and tomato and onion and
lettuce and condiments); different names are used in
different sections of the United States [syn: bomber, grinder,
hero, hero sandwich, hoagie, hoagy, Cuban
sandwich, Italian sandwich, poor boy, sub, submarine,
submarine sandwich, wedge, zep]
3: an explosive device that is set off in an oil well (or a gas
well) to start or to increase the flow of oil (or gas)
4: a small firework that consists of a percussion cap and some
gravel wrapped in paper; explodes when thrown forcefully
against a hard surface
5: a small explosive device that is placed on a railroad track
and fires when a train runs over it; the sound of the
explosion warns the engineer of danger ahead
6: armament consisting of a long cylindrical self-propelled
underwater projectile that detonates on contact with a
target
7: any sluggish bottom-dwelling ray of the order
Torpediniformes having a rounded body and electric organs
on each side of the head capable of emitting strong
electric discharges [syn: electric ray, crampfish, numbfish]
(verb)
1: attack or hit with torpedoes
Based on WordNet 2.0
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Torpedo : \Tor*pe"do\, n.
An automobile with a torpedo body. [Cant]
Based on Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
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Torpedo : \Tor*pe"do\, n.; pl. Torpedoes. [L. torpedo, -inis,
from torpere to be stiff, numb, or torpid. See Torpid.]
1. (Zo["o]l.) Any one of numerous species of elasmobranch
fishes belonging to Torpedo and allied genera. They are
related to the rays, but have the power of giving
electrical shocks. Called also crampfish, and
numbfish. See Electrical fish, under Electrical.
Note: The common European torpedo ({T. vulgaris) and the
American species ({T. occidentalis) are the best
known.
2. An engine or machine for destroying ships by blowing them
up. Specifically:
(a) A quantity of explosives anchored in a channel,
beneath the water, or set adrift in a current, and so
arranged that they will be exploded when touched by a
vessel, or when an electric circuit is closed by an
operator on shore.
(b) A kind of small submarine boat carrying an explosive
charge, and projected from a ship against another ship
at a distance, or made self-propelling, and otherwise
automatic in its action against a distant ship.
3. (Mil.) A kind of shell or cartridge buried in earth, to be
exploded by electricity or by stepping on it.
4. (Railroad) A kind of detonating cartridge or shell placed
on a rail, and exploded when crushed under the locomotive
wheels, -- used as an alarm signal.
5. An explosive cartridge or shell lowered or dropped into a
bored oil well, and there exploded, to clear the well of
obstructions or to open communication with a source of
supply of oil.
6. A kind of firework in the form of a small ball, or pellet,
which explodes when thrown upon a hard object.
Fish torpedo, a spindle-shaped, or fish-shaped,
self-propelling submarine torpedo.
Spar torpedo, a canister or other vessel containing an
explosive charge, and attached to the end of a long spar
which projects from a ship or boat and is thrust against
an enemy's ship, exploding the torpedo.
Torpedo boat, a vessel adapted for carrying, launching,
operating, or otherwise making use of, torpedoes against
an enemy's ship.
Based on Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
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Torpedo : \Tor*pe"do\, v. t.
to destroy by, or subject to the action of, a torpedo.
--London Spectator.
Based on Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
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