Shotgun
Someone asked about the
word shotgun. It’s a
smooth-bore gun used for firing small shot, as distinguished from a rifle,
which has grooves in the barrel and fires a bullet. The shotgun sacrifices
accuracy and distance in favor of scatter and close-up coverage.
The word gun is at the core, and there are many kinds:
pop-gun, machine gun, BB gun, handgun, blow gun, air gun, burp gun, flare gun,
ray gun, stun gun, and so on.
Professor Skeat (A
Concise Dictionary of Middle English)
suggested that the word ultimately may have come from the name of an ancient
Scandinavian goddess, Gunilda. The name meant war.
Shotgun shows up in many
phrases, a few of which are mentioned here.
- shotgun formation: in football, an offensive formation in
which the quarterback sets four or five yards behind the center with the
other backfield men split out as flankers. It’s designed to send out as
many pass receivers as possible while the QB has more time to throw the
ball.
- shotgun wedding: the father of the pregnant bride forces
the wedding with a shotgun.
- shotgun microphone: a highly directional microphone with a
long barrel that is pointed at a distant source of sound.
- shotgun prescription: medical slang for a prescription
containing a great number of drugs of various properties.
- ride shotgun: stagecoach guards rode shotgun—next to the
driver. The term is a relatively modern addition indebted to movies and TV
shows. It doesn’t seem to have been used in the heyday of coaches.
Children with siblings will “call shotgun” when going for a car ride,
meaning "I get to ride in the front passenger seat where the view is less
restricted."
Available from McFarland & Co.: Word Parts
Dictionary, 2nd edition
Nook edition
Nook edition
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