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grilletto

trigger

noun greel-LET-toh Rare
People & Society Military

Origin: diminutive of grillo (cricket), later applied to trigger by shape resemblance

Also means

little cricket

Usage Note

Grilletto is the trigger of a firearm; premere il grilletto means 'to pull the trigger.' The same word once meant 'little cricket' (from grillo), but the firearms sense has almost entirely displaced it in modern usage.

Examples

"Non toccare il grilletto senza ordini."

Natural Translation

Don't touch the trigger without orders.

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