Definitions for hair-trigger
Random House Webster's College Dictionary
hair′ trig`ger(n.)
a trigger that allows the firing mechanism of a firearm to be operated by very slight pressure.
Category: Military
Origin of hair trigger:
1815–25
hair′-trig`ger(adj.)
easily activated or set off; put into operation by the slightest impulse.
reacting immediately to the slightest provocation:
a hair-trigger temper.
Category: Common Vocabulary
Origin of hair-trigger:
1885–90
Princeton's WordNet
hair trigger(noun)
a gun trigger that responds with little pressure
Wiktionary
hair-trigger(Noun)
a trigger that will set off a firearm when even a very small pressure is applied
hair-trigger(Adjective)
unstable, in a situation that could be worsened by the slightest mistake
hair-trigger(Adjective)
easily angered, having a short temper
Origin: compound hair + trigger
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