Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. the penis; also occas. the vagina [thus Shakespeare’s double pun ‘Pistol’s cock is up’ (Henry V, 1599)].

c.1597		Shakespeare Henry IV Pt 2 II iv: pist.: I will discharge upon her, Sir John, with two bullets. fal.: She is pistol-proof, Sir.
1608		Machin & Markham Dumbe Knight III i: Direct me to her bed chamber, my noble firelock of a flesh pistoll.
1616		Webster Duchess of Malfi II ii: There was taken even now a Switzer in the duchess’ bed-chamber [...] with a pistol in his great cod-piece.
a.1625		Beaumont & Fletcher Love’s Cure V iii: And for my own part, I could have discharged it: my Pistol is no ordinary Pistol, it has two ramming Bullets; but thought I, why should I shoot my two bullets into my old Lady?
1639–42		Cavendish Varietie IV i: What is that a bedstaff? – It is a French pocket pistoll – Will he shoot it off here?
1640		‘Mary Tattle-well’ Womens sharpe revenge 177 There he saw wonders [...] Charles Brandons Launce, Ancient Pistolls Sword, [...] Sir John Falstaffs Pistoll.
1650		‘Character of a Mistress’ in Wardroper (1969) 297: A Musket strong; She’ll bear the strongest charge. Her barrel is not very long But yet the bore is large.
1677		Behn Rover III iii: [play on pistole, a coin] Flor. Sir, can you think— Will. That you’d do it for nothing? oh, oh, I find what you’d be at—look here, here’s a Pistol for you.
c.1714		‘Come prithee, Brother’ in Lansdowne (852.426) With Pistol in his hand he mounts, yet scarce one inch could enter ... He took his Pistol in his hand And spilt his Shot in vain.
1719		in D’Urfey Pills to Purge Melancholy II 24: She pull’d out his Pistol, and knock’d him o’re the Pate. [Ibid.] VI 324: The Trooper has a Carbine, Sir, That will please the Maidens well ... when it is Cock’d and Prim’d.
c.1720		‘The Merchant’s Courtship . . .’ in Holloway & Black I (1975) 177: The up stairs Jack did retire / He cock’d his pistol all for to fire.
c.1750		‘The Maid’s Lamentation’ Tom-Tit Pt 2 6: Now, Dear Madam, if you please / I’m ready to serve you on my Knees, / With my Pistol in my Hand, / Ready to fire at your Command.
c.1800		‘Comin’ o’er the Hills o’ Coupar’ Burns Merry Muses of Caledonia (1965) 165: Donald laid her on her back / An’ fir’d a Highland pistol at her.
1833		‘Firing Up The Chimney’ Lummy Chaunter 79: Now Molly heard, when a chimney was mired up [...] ’Twas good to have a clean pistol fired up.
1857		Life in Boston & N.Y. (Boston, MA) 11 Apr. n.p.: Richard C—x, how about it taking you so long to load that old psitol [...] That girl said if you couldn’t shoot better than that she wouldn’t have anything to do with you.
1890–1904		Farmer & Henley Sl. and Its Analogues.
1894		A. Machen (trans.) Memoirs of Casanova n.p.: Just as Hedvig applied her lips to the mouth of the pistol, it went off and the discharge inundated her face and her bosom.
1966		‘Tom Pendleton’ Iron Orchard (1967) 69: Them little bandies’ll put lead in yo’ pistol.
1978		(con. WWII) T. Sanchez Hollywoodland (1981) 79: Oh, shoot, you got your pistol off already.
1985		‘Jennifer Blowdryer’ Modern English 73: genitalia: male (n): Pistol.
2001		‘Randy Everhard’ Tattoo of a Naked Lady 184: My pistol was drawn and cocked. A bead of pre-cum graced its tip.

2. (Aus/US) anything or anyone seen as remarkable, exemplary etc. [underpinned by phr. ‘hot as a pistol’].

1913		Sport (Adelaide) 2 Aug. 9/2: They Say [...] That Augy T. went for a ride behind a pistol on Saturday, and it played on his nerves so much that he had to steady them to such an extent that his eyes got quite dazzled .
1935		J. Conroy World to Win 326: Ever’body liked Fatfolks, white and black! Ol’ Fatfolks he a was a pistol! Yassuh! Dat boy was a pistol from way back yandah in a holler tree!
1955		P. Rabe Benny Muscles In (2004) 234: Three times a day Tober was a pistol, sharp, fast, and full of noise.
1961		C. Himes Pinktoes (1989) 12: Old fats is a pistol, the other porters said.
1975		L. Rosten Dear ‘Herm’ 321: ‘Penny’ has been dating a new string of male pistols, and they make her former boy-friends look like ‘Goody-2 Shoes’.
1987		R. Campbell Alice in La-La Land (1999) 37: What a pistol my kid is. What a goddam pistol. Ready to face me down and shoot it out right here.
1993		T. Jones Pugilist at Rest 127: In his gratitude, Duran [i.e. a dog] pisses on my new pillow. He’s a real pistol.
2000		F.X. Toole Rope Burns 91: I could outrun, out-hit and outfling a football farther than any of the boys my age [...] Daddy said I was a pistol.
2009		J. Stahl Pain Killers 150: Darlene’s a pistol, isn’t she?
2013		T. Robinson Hard Bounce [ebook] Audrey howled like it was the best joke she’d heard all day. ‘This one’s a pistol, Willie’.

3. (US black) in pl., the trousers of a zoot suit n. [they ‘shoot forward’].

1941		D. Burley N.Y. Amsterdam News 7 June. 13: Them pistols [...] gonna have tops that’ll cut my tick-tock right across the middle.
1944		D. Burley Orig. Hbk of Harlem Jive 65: I [...] let ’em dig them stomps and that sky and that pair of pistols I’m sporting at my ankles.

4. a thug.

1955

B. Schulberg On the Waterfront (1964) 31: They were a couple of pistols [...] and he hoped they wouldn’t give Joey too much of a hard time.

5. a sexual athlete.

1989

T. Blacker Fixx 170: An irresistable Grade A pistol between the sheets.

6. see pocket pistol under pocket n.