the.com/recoil
Newton's third law, delivered straight to your shoulder.
means to jerk or flinch backward suddenly, whether from a gun's kick or from something that disgusts or frightens you
from From Old French 'reculer,' to retreat or go backward, built from 're-' (back) plus 'cul' meaning the rear or backside (from Latin 'culus'). So the word's literal skeleton is 'to go back on your backside' — a shrinking retreat that English borrowed in the 1300s, applying it first to armies and bodies falling back, and later, naturally, to springing weapons and springing emotions alike.
- physics
- equal and opposite reaction to firing a projectile
- mitigation
- heavier guns and muzzle brakes redirect gas to reduce kick
- etymology
- from old french reculer, to draw back
- emotional use
- also means flinching away from something upsetting