battle axe
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See also: battleaxe and battle-axe
English
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4e/Axes01.jpg/220px-Axes01.jpg)
Alternative forms
[edit]Pronunciation
[edit]Audio (General Australian): (file)
Noun
[edit]battle axe (plural battle axes)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f0/Battleaxe_lot.svg/220px-Battleaxe_lot.svg.png)
- An ancient military weapon, an axe designed for combat, including (in heraldry) when borne on arms as a mark of prowess.
- 1786, Francis Grose, A Treatise on Ancient Armour and Weapons, page x:
- Another battle-ax, in the same collection.
- (informal, sometimes humorous) A domineering, antagonistic woman.
- (informal) An electric guitar.
- 2013, Kiley Armstrong, “"108 Rock Star Guitars" reveals battle-ax beauty”, in Associated Press[1]:
- The instruments (one's named Baby) evoke tender talk from macho musicians. But some of these battle-ax beauties have seen more action than a roller derby queen: They bear the gashes and sweat stains to prove it.
- (Australia, usually spelt "battleaxe") An allotment of land at the rear of another property, with a long, narrow strip of land connecting it to the roadway.
- Synonym: flag lot
Usage notes
[edit]Formerly a term of mild opprobrium, "battle-ax" or "old battle-ax" is now sometimes a term of approval or self-identification for an assertive woman.
Synonyms
[edit]- (antagonistic woman): See Thesaurus:shrew
Translations
[edit]ancient military weapon
|
belligerent woman
electric guitar — see electric guitar
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- The Manual of Heraldry, Fifth Edition, by Anonymous, London, 1862, online at [2]
Further reading
[edit]battle axe on Wikipedia.Wikipedia