double-barreled

double-barreled

Serving a dual purpose, or having two aspects. The term alludes to the double-barreled firearm, invented to overcome the handicap of a gun that had to be reloaded after each shot. The term began to be used figuratively in the late 1700s. It is frequently attached to the noun “question,” as in, “How would you rate the dealer’s price and service,” that is, basically asking two questions at once. A surname that combines two parts, such as “Geoffrey Mott-Smith,” is called a double-barreled name. The term also has given rise to the phrase “with both barrels,” used for an assault of some kind. For example, “He’s pilfered office supplies too many times; we’ll give it to him with both barrels.”
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • double-barreled slingshot
  • binge-watch
  • be pushing up (the) daisies
  • be pushing up daisies
  • be pushing up the daisies
  • chips are down, the
  • cat's paw, (be made) a
  • carrot and the stick, the
  • burned out, to be
  • bats in one's belfry, to have
References in periodicals archive
Boxlock actions also resulted in single triggers on double-barreled shotguns.
SCATTERGUN CHOICES: HOW'D WE GET FROM "THEN" TO "NOW"?
The image-maker said that a locally-made double-barreled pistol, two live cartridges and the snatched motorcycle were recovered from the dead suspect.
Bike snatcher dies while escaping, 2 others arrested in Ogun
But Billinge, formerly of Dragon Lane, Whiston, appeared back at Liverpool crown court yesterday and admitted possessing a 12-gauge, double-barreled shotgun on February 14 - less than a month before he was due to sentenced for killing Marko.
Death driver's gun admission; Teen had gun before being locked up
A couple of 55-gallon poly drums and some scrap wood is a double-barreled winner in the game of re-purposing everyday junk into something useful for your farm.
Barreling in on shelter for the flock
Mason was given a holdall containing the double-barreled shotgun and ammunition on Boxing Day and hid it in his Raw t h o r p e home for three weeks before police raided the house.
TEEN HID SHOTGUN; 'Weapon of terror' could have killed
Individual pieces are performed with an impressive variety of flutes, from a reproduction of an ancient Anasazi flute to a double-barreled flute with buffalo drum, to the Australian digeridoo.
A Place Called Peace
Rizzini makes double-barreled game and target shotguns, which reflect "a unique blend of modern manufacturing techniques and Old World craftsmanship."
Connecticut Shotgun imports B. Rizzini
The title is hunt jargon for using a double-barreled gun to shoot two ducks in rapid succession.
Painting nature on the wing
He and his colleagues uncovered pollen's double-barreled effect on lungs by exposing sensitized mice to different forms of pollen, some with excess NADPH oxidases added, others that were NADPH-free.
The radical theory of sneezing
When Quicke couldn't open the safe, the intruder didn't follow through on his threat to kill Quicke, but decided to leave with the valuables that he already had: a double-barreled shotgun, some cash, medicine, and a three-pound can of loose change.
"Quicke" thinking