laser pistol n.

a hand weapon of similar size to a pistol that fires a laser

Weaponry

  • 1963 Hartford Courant 15 May 4/4

    The exhibits will include demonstrations of small arms firing; an artillery demonstration; 'Nike in the Attack' motion picture; helicopter armament firing demonstrations; laser pistol (light ray) firing demonstrations, and howitzer and mortar firing demonstrations.

  • 1963 F. Saberhagen Goodlife in Worlds of Tomorrow Dec. 42/2 page image Fred Saberhagen bibliography

    All passengers had put on emergency spacesuits when the unequal battle had begun; now he found himself an extra air tank, and some officer’s laser pistol, which he stuck in a loop of his suit’s belt.

  • 1967 R. Silverberg Time Hoppers xiv. 165 page image Robert Silverberg bibliography

    He was well armed; taped to the palm of his hand was an anesthetic prong that would flip out at a command of his muscles, and beneath his armpit was a neural spray in case something went awry with the prong. He carried a laser pistol too, but the last thing he intended was to use it on Mortensen.

  • 1967 F. A. Javor Rim-World Legacy xxviii. 128

    Plagiar sat at his table, his laser pistol, the safety off, lying at the ready in front of him…and I knew what he was saving me for.

  • 1972 A. D. Foster Tar-Aiym Krang xv. 177 Alan Dean Foster

    Compact and efficient, the laser pistol could cook a man at five hundred meters or a steak at one. It could weld most metals, or burn its way through any form of conventional plastic barrier.

  • 1973 R. Goulart Tin Angel iii. 22 Ron Goulart bibliography

    He pushed the button which reclosed the landcar window, holstered his laser-pistol.

  • 1979 M. McCollum Beer Run in Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact July 118/1 Michael McCollum

    I'd attended a couple of lectures on laser weapons. One thing every expert agreed on: a laser pistol with a six inch barrel theoretically impossible.

  • 1980 S. Goldin Eternity Brigade 14

    Of those weapons with which he was familiar, he chose four grenades, an energy rifle, a wide-dispersion laser pistol and a pair of throwing knives.

  • 1981 M. Resnick Soul Eater i. 8 Mike Resnick

    He glanced over some of the orders and began estimating what he'd need: a laser cannon, two vibrators, a molecular imploder (if he could get his hands on one somewhere on Northpoint). There'd be the standard hand weapons: the stungun, the screecher, and an old-fashioned laser pistol.

  • 1999 J. L. Chalker Sea is Full of Stars 61 Jack L. Chalker

    Angel looked at Ming and saw that she had a full-power laser pistol stuck in her belt, which she now removed and checked.

  • 2015 K. K. Rusch Inhuman Garbage in Asimov’s Science Fiction Mar. 102 page image Kristine Kathryn Rusch bibliography

    They were going to start a fight in front of the building that would get progressively more violent. And then they'd start shooting up the area with laser pistols.


Research requirements

antedating 1963

Earliest cite

the Hartford Courant (in a non-SF context); and Fred Saberhagen, "Goodlife"

Research History
Douglas Winston submitted a 1968 cite from Robert Silverberg's "The Time Hoppers"; Jesse Sheidlower verified it in the 1967 first edition.
Douglas Winston submitted a 1973 cite from Ron Goulart's "The Tin Angel".
Douglas Winston submitted a 1980 cite from Stephen Goldin's "The Eternity Brigade".
Douglas Winston submitted a cite from a 1982 reprint of Michael McCollum's "A Greater Infinity". Mike Christie verified this in its 1979 magazine publication.
Douglas Winston submitted a cite from a 1992 reprint of Mike Resnick's 1981 "The Soul Eater".
Douglas Winston submitted a 1999 cite from Jack L. Chalker's "The Sea is Full of Stars".
Enoch Forrester submitted a cite from a 1983 reprint of Alan Dean Foster's "The Tar-Aiym Krang".
Douglas Winston submitted a 1967 cite from F.A. Javor's "The Rim-World Legacy"
Fred Galvin submitted a 1963 cite from "Goodlife" by Fred Saberhagen
Bill Mullins submitted a 1963 cite from The Hartford Courant

Last modified 2023-10-31 03:22:58
In the compilation of some entries, HDSF has drawn extensively on corresponding entries in OED.