thunderstick

plural thundersticks · alternative thunder-stick · alternative thunder stick

1. A gun or cannon, especially a rifle, as seen from the imagined perspective of an uncivilized person or an animal.

   We sneaked into the soldiers' camp, and stole five thundersticks.

   5 more examples

   The man pointed his thunderstick at the buffalo, and with a great noise and fire, the buffalo fell down dead.

   ...the Men, when they hunt us with their arrows or a thunder-stick which strikes with a loud noise...

   1904, W.A. Fraser, “The Narrative of Buffalo and Bison”, in Metropolitan, volume 20, number 11, pages 195–196

   Two men with beards... carrying thundersticks... were in the village above...

   1931 He Dog, interviewed by Mari Sandoz (John Colhoff, interpreter), in The Beaver Men: Spearheads of Empire (University of Nebraska Press, 1964)

   We have heard that they have magic thunder sticks; that all they need do is point the stick at a man and thunder and lightning comes out of it and the man dies.

   1938, Mark Raymond Harrington, The Indians of New Jersey: Dickon among the Lenapes

   (Two bears discussing a rifle found lying on the ground): Thunderstick? ...You actually said 'Thunderstick?'... That, my friend, is a Winchester 30.06.

   1985, Gary Larson, Bride of the Far Side

   Synonyms: fire-stick

2. A narrow plastic balloon that is used as a promotional noise maker by hitting one against another.

   1 more example

   Called “James Tenney and Milton Babbitt : American Iconoclasts,” the mini-festival begins on Saturday with a work by Mr. Tenney, who died in 2006, on a program including pieces by Larry Polansky, Michael Byron and Henry Cowell (the 1925 “Ensemble” for string quartet and thundersticks). Mr. Babbitt is honored on Sunday with a program that includes, among other works, a premiere by Christopher Buchenholz.

   2008 February 8, The New York Times, “Classical Music/Opera Listings”, in New York Times