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   rifle

   /ˈrʌɪfl/

   noun

   • 1. a gun, especially one fired from shoulder level, having a long spirally grooved barrel intended to make a bullet spin and thereby have greater accuracy over a long distance: "a hunting rifle"
   • ▪ troops armed with rifles: "the Burma Rifles"

   verb

   • 1. make spiral grooves in (a gun or its barrel or bore) to make a bullet spin and thereby have greater accuracy over a long distance: "there are four basic ways to rifle a gun barrel"
   • 2. hit or kick (a ball) hard and straight: "Ferguson rifled home his fourth goal of the season"

   Word Origin mid 17th century: from French rifler ‘graze, scratch’, of Germanic origin. The earliest noun usage was in rifle gun, which had ‘rifles’ or spiral grooves cut into the inside of the barrel.

   Scrabble Points: 8

   • R

     1

   • I

     1

   • F

     4

   • L

     1

   • E

     1

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