'Fire in the hole'
Posted by ESC on February 26, 2004
In Reply to: 'Fire in the hole' posted by Gerald Ryan on February 26, 2004
: I think 'fire in the hole' goes back to wooden war ships. When cannons were fired they recoiled on ropes fixed through pulleys. If a gun recoiled it could kill anyone standing behind it, in the crowded gun deck. The phrase fire in the hole was called when a flaming torch was put to the powder in the breech. This took 2/3 seconds to ignite and the shout was a warning that the gun was about to fire, and therefore recoil.
This is the only "fire in the hole" I know about.
FIRE IN THE HOLE -- Illinois Dept. of Natural Resources online: PART 225 - USE OF PERMISSIBLE EXPLOSIVES IN UNDERGROUND COAL MINES. The shot firer must give a loud, verbal warning such as "fire in the hole" at least three times before blasting.
- 'Fire in the hole' - inaccurate Lewis 01/March/04