A die-hard is someone who refuses to surrender or give-up. The term was given as a nickname to the old 57th Regiment of Foot (later known as the West Middlesex Regiment) following their involvement at the Battle of Albuera in 1811 when their colonel, Inglis, told his men to 'die hard'. At the battle the regimental banner was pierced with thirty bullet holes, twenty-three of the twenty-four officers were killed and 416 of the 584 men killed. Research Die-Hard
Morticians wax is a soft wax used by morticians for filling holes in dead bodies, and also used by special effects artists for producing artificial wounds in the cinema and theatre. Morticians' wax is a soft, naturally coloured wax which blends with the flesh of the wearer, and can be sculpted to form the appearance of bullet holes and cuts when treated with other colouring makeups. Research Morticians Wax
Belemnites are extinct, squid-like molluscs of the Cephalopoda class with a bullet-shaped internal shell. Fossils are found from the Upper Carboniferous period to the Eocene epoch. The fossils are straight, solid, tapering and dart-shaped, and were formerly popularly known as arrow-heads, thunderbolts, finger-stones, etc. Research Belemnite
Claude Etienne Minie was a French gunsmith. He was born in 1814 at Paris and died in 1879. He served in the army in Africa, and in 1849 invented the Minierifle and bullet. In 1858 he retired from the army and directed the small-arms factory and the school of musketry at Cairo. Research Claude Minie
Brandon Lee was an actor. He was born in 1964 at Oakland, California and died in 1992. A martial arts expert, trained by his father Bruce Lee, Brandon Lee always wanted to be an actor, and first appeared in the 1986 television film 'Kung Fu', and his feature film debut in 1988 in the Hong Kong produced film 'Legacy of Rage'. He was killed in a freak accident while making the film 'The Crow'. A prop bulletlodged in the barrel of a gun was propelled out by the firing of a blankcartridge only to strike Brandon Lee who died several hours later in hospital. Research Brandon Lee
Septic meningitis is usually due to extension of infection to the pia mater from adjacent structures. Thus, it arises commonly from chronic infection of the middle ear, infection of the scalp, fractured skull, and bullet wounds of the head, which are common in war-time. At the time of injury the patient may merely feel upset, but deeper trouble may be taking place inside the skull. For this reason all injuries to the head, even though they may appear to be trivial, should be carefully watched. Moreover, in all cases where meningitis is suspected the ear drum should be examined. As in all forms of acutemeningitis, there is headache, vomiting and drowsiness, accompanied by high fever with rigors (attacks of shivering as the temperature rises). Later there is restlessness with delirium, and a painful stiff neck so that the head is drawn backwards. Research Septic Meningitis
The .22 Long Rifle cartridge is a pistol and riflecartridge probably developed by the J Stevens Arms and Tool Company in the USA, and first introduced in 1887. In 1930 Remington introduced a high-speed version of the cartridge in a solid and hollow bullet versions. The hollow bullet version was developed for hunting small game and has an effective range of about 1000 metres. Research .22 Long Rifle
The 9 mm Parabellum is a standard military pistol cartridge developed in 1902 by George Luger and DWM with the aim of improving the stopping power of the Parabellum pistol. The 9 mm Parabellum cartridge is an enlarged 7.65 mm Parabellum cartridge, originally flat-nosed in 1915 the German army switched to an ogival bullet. Research 9 mm Parabellum
An air gun is an instrument for the projection of bullets by means of condensed air, generally either in the form of an ordinary gun, rifle, or pistol or of a pretty stout walking-stick, and about the same length. A quantity of air being compressed into the air-chamber by means of a condensing syringe, or compressed gas cylinder, the bullet is put in its place in front of this chamber, and propelled by the expansive force of a certain quantity of the compressed air, which is liberated on pressing the trigger. Research Air Gun
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Die-Hard
