short tube attached to the muzzle of a gun that deadens the sound of firing
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a tubular acoustic device inserted in the exhaust system that is designed to reduce noise
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Silencer \Si"lenc*er\, n. One that silences; specif.: (a) The muffler of an internal-combustion engine. (b) Any of various devices to silence the humming noise of telegraph wires. (c) A device for silencing the report of a firearm shooting its projectiles singly, as a tubular attachment for the muzzle having circular plates that permit the passage of the projectile but impart a rotary motion to, and thus retard, the exploding gases. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
Muffler \Muf"fler\, n. 1. Anything used in muffling; esp., a scarf for protecting the head and neck in cold weather; a tippet.
Fortune is painted blind, with a muffler above her eyes. --Shak.
2. (Mus.) A cushion for terminating or softening a note made by a stringed instrument with a keyboard.
3. A kind of mitten or boxing glove, esp. when stuffed.
4. One who muffles.
5. (Mach.) Any of various devices to deaden the noise of escaping gases or vapors, as a tube filled with obstructions, through which the exhaust gases of an internal-combustion engine, as on an automobile, are passed (called also {silencer}). [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
His armory also includes a rifle fitted with a homemade silencer, a dragnet for sweeping up partridges, and raisins threaded with horsehair, which catch in a pheasant's throat and leave the bird flapping on the ground.