fire step en · NOUN
Meanings
-
(historical) A step or platform dug into the front side of a military trench - allowing soldiers to stand on it in order to fire over the parapet.
‘One o' the men on the firestep was 'urt too, but they said it was only a nice blighty one.’
1929, Frederic Manning, The Middle Parts of Fortune, Vintage, published 2014, page 101:We stood on the fire step with our heads over the top, peering out into No Man's Land.
1917, Arthur Guy Empey, Over The Top:They spread the lime together, sprinkling it thickly along the firestep, throwing shovelfuls at a bad patch of wall.
1991, Pat Barker, Regeneration (The Regeneration Trilogy), Penguin, published 2014, page 140:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| fire steps | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| firestep | alternative | lexicographic |
Translations (1)
fr banquette de tir (step in side of trench)