Chekhov's gun

A literary element that, at first, seems to have no purpose but is later revealed to be important to the plot. This is commonly thought of as a parallel of foreshadowing, but it is more properly interpreted as "do not include any unnecessary elements in a story."

The return of Carmelita Spats in The Slippery Slope after her seemingly unnecessary appearance in The Austere Academy is an example of Chekhov's gun.

"One must not put a loaded rifle on the stage if no one is thinking of firing it." -Anton Chekhov

Chekhov's gun by Rising_Rose January 17, 2010

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Bondarchuk's gun

A term used in circles of russian cinema fans in opposite to "Chekhov's gun". If Bondarchuk's gun appears in the plot, it will never be used. Was first mentioned by Russian cinema reviewer "Badcomedian" in the review of Fedor Bondarchuk's film "Prityazhenie" (attraction) as a joke.

-Have you seen that new film about a part of soviet history by Nikita Mikhalkov?
-Yeah, the love line in the plot is definitely the Bondarchuk's gun.

Bondarchuk's gun by John Lasley January 7, 2022

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god's gun

Nickname for the medium towed howitzer currently used by the US Marine Corps. The M198 is 155mm with a range of 18100m, which can be extended with R.A.P. (rocket assisted projectiles) Typically employed in batteries (approx. 130-150 Marines) with 6 howitzers and a Fire Direction Center (FDC).

The Marines using God's Gun destroyed many Iraqi troops.

god's gun by Devildog8297 June 11, 2006