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'Fire in the hole'

Posted by ESC on February 26, 2004

In Reply to: 'Fire in the hole' posted by Gerald Ryan on February 26, 2004

: I think 'fire in the hole' goes back to wooden war ships. When cannons were fired they recoiled on ropes fixed through pulleys. If a gun recoiled it could kill anyone standing behind it, in the crowded gun deck. The phrase fire in the hole was called when a flaming torch was put to the powder in the breech. This took 2/3 seconds to ignite and the shout was a warning that the gun was about to fire, and therefore recoil.

This is the only "fire in the hole" I know about.

FIRE IN THE HOLE -- Illinois Dept. of Natural Resources online: PART 225 - USE OF PERMISSIBLE EXPLOSIVES IN UNDERGROUND COAL MINES. The shot firer must give a loud, verbal warning such as "fire in the hole" at least three times before blasting.

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