Barisal Guns
Preserved but no longer current.
A name given to certain mysterious booming sounds heard in many parts of the world as well as Barisal (Bengal), generally on or near water. They resemble the sound of distant cannon, and are probably of subterranean origin. At Seneca Lake, New York, they are known as Lake guns, on the coast of Holland and Belgium as mistpoeffers, and in Italy as bombiti, baturho marina, etc.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Barisal Guns” mean?
A name given to certain mysterious booming sounds heard in many parts of the world as well as Barisal (Bengal), generally on or near water. They resemble the sound of distant cannon, and are probably of subterranean origin. At Seneca Lake, New York, they are known as Lake guns, on the coast of Holland and Belgium as mistpoeffers, and in Italy as bombiti, baturho marina, etc.
Is “Barisal Guns” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.