Definition

1. Verb phrase:
   • To cock a gun: The primary meaning of "lên cò" is the action of pulling back the hammer of a firearm (such as a pistol or revolver) to prepare it to be fired with a trigger pull.
   • To prepare to fire: It describes the specific step in operating a gun where the mechanism is set, making the weapon ready to discharge.

Usage Examples

• Verb phrase:
  • Hắn từ từ lên cò khẩu súng lục. (He slowly cocked the pistol.)
  • Trước khi bắn, nhớ lên cò. (Before firing, remember to cock the gun.)
  • Cảnh sát ra lệnh: "Lên cò!". (The police commanded: "Cock your weapons!".)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase is used almost exclusively in the context of firearms. It is a technical term for a specific manual action on older or certain types of guns. For modern semi-automatic pistols that may not have an external hammer, the concept might be described differently (e.g., "lên đạn" - to chamber a round), though "lên cò" could still be used colloquially to mean making the weapon ready to fire.

Variants and Related Words

• Lên đạn (v): to load a bullet into the chamber of a firearm; to chamber a round.

  • Lên đạn xong thì sẵn sàng bắn. (Once you chamber a round, you are ready to fire.)

• Cò súng (n): the trigger or hammer of a gun.

  • Anh ta đặt ngón tay lên cò súng. (He placed his finger on the gun's trigger.)

Synonyms

• To cock: to set the hammer of a firearm.
• To prime a gun: to prepare a gun for firing (less common).

Related Idioms

• Lên cò sẵn sàng: to be fully prepared and ready for immediate action, like a cocked gun.

  • Đội đặc nhiệm đã lên cò sẵn sàng. (The special forces team was cocked and ready.)

• Chưa lên cò đã bắn: to act prematurely; to "fire before cocking the gun." This idiom criticizes acting without proper preparation.

  • Kế hoạch thất bại vì anh ta chưa lên cò đã bắn. (The plan failed because he jumped the gun.)