Wiktionary
n. (context military English) a position of salute in the manual of arms in which the gun is held in both hands vertically in front of the body, with the muzzle upward and the trigger side forward. vb. (context military English) to adopt such a position.
Wikipedia
Present Arms is the second album by UB40 and was released in 1981. It spent 38 weeks on the UK album charts, reaching number 2. An album of original songs, it spawned two top 20 hits in 'One in Ten' (number 7) and 'Don't Let It Pass You By/Don't Slow Down' (16).
Like their first album Signing Off, Present Arms contained many socially and politically charged lyrics, from the anti-militant title track to 'Sardonicus' which was linked to both President Ronald Reagan and Risus sardonicus, an ironic smile on tetanus victims' faces, The UK top-ten hit "One in Ten" was an attack on Thatcherism. The album also touches on a subject very dear to UB40's heart: 'Lamb's Bread' and 'Don't Walk On The Grass' are written as part of the band's longstanding campaign for the legalisation of cannabis. Musically, the album continued in the heavy, reverb-drenched, mellifluous style of the debut.
The title track has been used to open UB40 concerts from the mid 90s onwards, usually with the blasting horn section beginning the concert.
As with Signing Off, Present Arms was critically acclaimed and commercially successful in the UK.
A dub version of this album called Present Arms in Dub was released soon after.
Present arms is a two-part drill command used by many militaries in the world as a sign of respect. It comes from the old British command "Arms to the present!" This was used especially between 1700 and about the late nineteenth century in Great Britain and later the United Kingdom.
Present Arms is a Broadway musical comedy that opened April 26, 1928, with music by Richard Rodgers, and lyrics by Lorenz Hart. It is based on the book by Herbert Fields. It was produced by Lew Fields with musical numbers stage by Busby Berkeley. It ran for 155 performances at the Lew Fields' Mansfield Theatre, which today is known as the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. Present Arms was filmed in 1930 with Irene Dunne, with its title changed to Leathernecking. The film is presumed lost.
Present Arms may refer to:
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Present Arms (album) (1981 release), the second album by British reggae band UB40
- Present Arms in Dub (1981 release), third UB40 album, a remix version of Present Arms
- Present Arms (musical) (1928 opening), a Broadway musical comedy
- Present arms (command), a two-part command used by many militaries in the world as a sign of respect
Present Arms is the first episode of the second BBC Radio 4 series of the British comedy series Dad's Army that was originally transmitted on Thursday 24 December 1974, as a Christmas Special. 'Present Arms' was compiled for radio from two television episodes, Battle of the Giants! and Shooting Pains and ran for an unusual 60 minutes, twice the length of a normal radio episode.
Usage examples of "present arms".
He envied this gilded man, he thought what happiness it would be to be able to put on that coat which was an incontestable thing, that if Cosette saw him thus it would dazzle her, that when he should give his arm to Cosette and pass before the gate of the Tuileries they would present arms to him, and that that would so satisfy Cosette that it would destroy her inclination to look at the young men.
The Marines did likewise, as the hatch opened, bringing their pulse rifles halfway to the present arms salute.
Kutuzof saw a well-built soldier with light curly hair and bright blue eyes come forth from the ranks and present arms.
Her ranchers weren't about to make themselves look silly, with present arms, and salutes, and the rest of it.
He's posted an honour guard and arranged for 10 heavy combat robots to present arms when Atlan comes into the hall.
Then the leather-lunged sergeant bellowed another order, and Simpson's hand came down from his cap brim at the exact same instant the honor guard snapped from present arms to stand easy.