A mortar is a kind of cannon which fires on targets indirectly through high-arch trajectories. Mortars are typically large, squat, and upwards facing, which is why Trim makes use of Walter’s boots to build a model pair.
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The timeline below shows where the term Mortar appears in Tristram Shandy. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Book 3: Chapters 22-28
Chapter 22. Trim, having finished building two new model mortars for Toby, is too excited to wait and enters the parlor to show them to...
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Chapter 26. Returning to the parlor, Tristram explains how the mortars turned Toby’s thoughts to military matters, leading to his assumption that Dr. Slop is building...
(full context)