ray gun

a gun that can fire bursts of usually destructive or lethal rays: a science fiction novel whose hero has a ray gun made of gold.

a child's futuristic toy gun that emits sparks, whirring noises, etc.

Origin of ray gun

First recorded in 1930–35

rawsthorne, rax, ray, ray floret, ray flower, ray gun, ray-finned fish, rayah, raybans, rayburn, rayed

Snap's ray-gun spat as he went down; one of the men dropped away.

Wandl the Invader |Raymond King Cummings
Twice more his ray-gun spoke, and then the goal, the entrance to the central laboratory, was just ahead.

The Affair of the Brains |Anthony Gilmore
The man in the doorway was pointing a ray-gun steadily at him!

When the Sleepers Woke |Arthur Leo Zagat
In one hand he clutched a ray-gun, and in the other a blood-stained knife!

Wandl the Invader |Raymond King Cummings

The left mitten he hinged back, so as to be able to grip the ray-gun in his bare hand.

The Bluff of the Hawk |Anthony Gilmore

ray gun

(in science fiction) a gun that emits rays to paralyse, stun, or destroy