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big iron

n. (context computing humorous dated English) Large, expensive, powerful computers such as mainframes.

Wikipedia
Big Iron

"Big Iron" is a country ballad by Marty Robbins, originally released as an album track on Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs in September 1959, then as a single in February 1960 with the song " Saddle Tramp" as the B-side single. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.

It tells the story of an Arizona Ranger's duel with an outlaw named Texas Red in the "town of Agua Fria". The town predicts the death of the Ranger (Texas Red had already killed 20 men), but the Ranger kills Texas Red with the swiftness of the "big iron on his hip." This term refers to the gun the Ranger carries. Texas Red hadn't even "cleared leather" - the Ranger's draw was that swift.

Robbins' version of the song reached #5 on the Billboard Country chart and #26 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in April 1960.

The song is also featured in the video game Fallout: New Vegas on the in-game radio, Radio New Vegas.

The Ranger's "Big Iron" actually existed. It was a one-off custom handgun chambered in .45 Colt and featured a Great Western copy of the Colt Single Action Army frame, Colt 1860 Army backstrap, grip frame and grips and a cut down 9 1/2" Marlin rifle barrel. Marty Robbins saw it in Andy Anderson's famed North Hollywood gun shop in the late 1950s and wrote the song around it. Its current whereabouts are unknown.

Big Iron (disambiguation)

Big Iron is a western ballad by Marty Robbins, released in 1960.

Big Iron may also refer to:

  • Big iron, large, powerful computers
  • Big Iron River, a river in Ontanagon County, Michigan
  • Big Iron (album), an album by Carol Noonan
  • "Big Iron", an episode of Knight Rider

Usage examples of "big iron".

He got out the big iron skillet, poured in some half rancid drippings from the lard can on the back of the stove and put the chops on to fry.

The sounds of the blades thunking into flesh and wood brought back unpleasant memories for Catrone, but there was a small ripple of applause as the Mardukan bowed and started throwing the chunks of meat, in another blur, onto a big iron dome.