E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Cul’verin
properly means a serpent (Latin, colubri’nus, the col’uber), but is applied to a long, slender piece of artillery employed in the sixteenth century to carry balls to a great distance. Queen Elizabeth’s “Pocket Pistol” in Dover Castle is a culverin.
