starting pistol
starting pistol — 名詞
1. a device shaped like a handgun that fires blanks — producing a loud bang — to gi
起跑槍
發令比賽開始的信號槍
a device shaped like a handgun that fires blanks — producing a loud bang — to give the signal for a race to begin
The runners froze at the starting line, waiting for the starting pistol to fire.
選手們在起跑線上一動也不動，等待起跑槍響起。
collocation: fire a starting pistol
As soon as the starting pistol went off, the athletes sprinted forward.
起跑槍一響，運動員們立刻向前衝刺。
phrasal verb: go off (of the pistol)
A faulty starting pistol caused confusion at the beginning of the 400-metre race.
一把故障的起跑槍在四百公尺賽跑開始時造成了混亂。
The crowd fell silent the moment the official raised the starting pistol above his head.
當裁判高舉起跑槍的那一刻，全場觀眾都安靜了下來。
Without a working starting pistol, the coach simply shouted 'Go!' to begin the race.
因為沒有能用的起跑槍，教練只好大喊一聲「跑！」來開始比賽。
- starter's gun
used interchangeably in British English, though less precise
- race gun
informal term, not standard in official contexts
用法筆記
The object is the device itself — a person fires it, or it goes off. Often used figuratively (e.g. 'the starting pistol for the election campaign').