Am 08.08.2013 20:27, schrieb Alain:

>> he is firing lasers not laser beams
>
> Laser ARE beams. Laser beam is a pleonasm.

Rule #1 when nitpicking: Don't, until you know what you're talking 
about, because you'll inevitably be out out-smartassed :-P

LASER = "Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation" - 
that's neither a beam, nor an apparatus, but a principle.

A proper term for a beam generated using this principle would be 
"coherent beam of light" if all you want to describe is the properties 
of the beam; but if you want to also reference the particular principle 
used to generate it, "laser beam" would be perfectly appropriate (while 
"laser light" would indeed be nonsense).

If you accept the acronym of the underlying principle to denote a beam 
generated using it, then it is just as acceptable to denote an apparatus 
using this principle to generate the beam - though of course "Laser 
source" would be more precise.

Of course, propelling a volley of laser apparatuses would entirely be 
possible, might look somewhat like depicted, and science fiction authors 
might even invent /some/ reason for doing so, rather than just shooting 
slugs of lead, tungsten or DU...

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