Both Uses of
recoil
in
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
- Violence does, in truth, recoil upon the violent, and the schemer falls into the pit which he digs for another.†
Chpt 8 *
- The banker recoiled in horror.†
Chpt 11
Definition:
-
(recoil) to move backward suddenly (sometimes figuratively)especially:
- the backward jerk of a gun or cannon when it is fired
- when a person flinches (suddenly draws back) from someone or something, as with fear, disgust, or pain
- when a person is emotionally repulsed, as by disgust
- when something intended to go in one direction figuratively falls back in the opposite direction; for example, a story told to hurt someone that comes back to hurt the teller