Arti: air gun

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gun Idiom

big gun/cheese/wheel/wig

an important person, a leader The new director was a big wheel in his previous company but is not so important now.

go great guns

do something very fast or very hard, successfully The workers were going great guns fixing the building when I saw them this morning.

going great guns

working very well, going strong We were going great guns till our goalie got hurt. Then they scored.

great guns

(See going great guns)

gun down

shoot, kill with guns He was gunned down as he left his apartment - shot in the back.

gun for someone

look hard for a chance to harm or defeat someone My supervisor has been gunning for me for a long time but I don

gun for something

try very hard to get (prize or promotion etc.) He has been gunning for the new sales job for a long time.

gun it

step on the accelerator, floor it, goose it When a car tried to pass him, he gunned it. He sped away!

gung-ho

enthusiastic, full of eagerness She is really gung-ho about her new job at the library.

jump the gun

act too soon, leave early A good chef waits until the food is cooked. Don't jump the gun.

life is not all guns and roses

life is not all war and love, life is not like the movies, come down to earth After World War II, some people had to learn that life is not all guns and roses.

smoking gun

weapon used, evidence, caught red-handed The company told me to dismiss the employee, so I was holding the smoking gun.

son of a gun/bitch

a person, used as an exclamation I wish that that son of a bitch would stop using my camera without asking me.

stick to one's guns

defend an action or opinion despite an unfavorable reaction We stuck to our guns during the meeting and asked for more time to consider the proposal.

stick to your guns

not change your belief, be firm If you testify in court, stick to your guns. Tell the same story.

son of a gun

Idiom(s): son of a gun

Theme: FRIENDS

old friend (male). (A friendly—male-to-male—way of referring to a friend. Use with caution.)
• Why Bill, you old son of a gun, I haven't seen you in three or four years.
• When is that son of a gun John going to come visit us? He's neglecting his friends.

shotgun wedding

Idiom(s): shotgun wedding

Theme: MARRIAGE

a forced wedding. (Informal. From imagery of the bride's father having threatened the bridegroom with a shotgun to force him to marry.)
• Mary was six months pregnant when she married Bill. It was a real shotgun wedding.
• Bob would never have married Jane if she hadn't been pregnant. Jane's father saw to it that it was a shotgun wedding.

gun for

Idiom(s): gun for sb

Theme: SEARCHING

to be looking for someone, presumably to harm them. (Informal. Originally from western and gangster movies.)
• The coach is gunning for you. I think he's going to bawl you out.
• I've heard that the sheriff is gunning for me, so I'm getting out of town.

beat the gun

Idiom(s): beat the gun

Theme: EARLY

to manage to do something before the ending signal. (Originally from sports, referring to making a goal in the last seconds of a game.)
• The ball beat the gun and dropped through the hoop just in time.
• Tom tried to beat the gun, but he was one second too slow.

Bring a knife to a gunfight

If someone brings a knife to a gunfight, they are very badly prepared for something.

Gunboat diplomacy

If a nation conducts its diplomatic relations by threatening military action to get what it wants, it is using gunboat diplomacy.

Gung ho

If someone is gung ho about something, they support it blindly and don't think about the consequences.

Ride shotgun

If you ride shotgun, you protect or guard something when it is being transported.

Shotgun marriage

A shotgun marriage, or shotgun wedding, is one that is forced because of pregnancy. It is also used idiomatically for a compromise, agreement or arrangement that is forced upon groups or people by necessity.

Sitting Shotgun

Riding in the front passenger seat of a car.

Well begun is half done.

A good start to a task leads to its easy and successful completion.

big cheese|big|big gun|big shot|big wheel|big wig|

n., slang An important person; a leader; a high official; a person of high rank. Bill had been a big shot in high school. John wanted to be the big cheese in his club.
Compare: WHOLE CHEESE.

bring in the big guns|big guns|bring|bring out the

v. phr. To make use of a concealed plan in order to defeat an opponent in an argument or in a game, debate, or competition. The new computer software company decided to bring out the big guns to get ahead of the competition.

give it the gun|give|give her the gun|gun

v. phr., slang To gun or speed up a motor; make a car, airplane, or something driven by a motor go faster. The race driver gave it the gun. The speedboat pilot gave her the gun.
Compare: STEP ON IT.

great guns|great|gun|guns

adv. phr., informal 1. Very fast or very hard.

Usually used in the phrases "blow great guns", "go great guns". The wind was blowing great guns, and big waves beat the shore. The men were going great guns to finish the job.
Compare: FAST AND FURIOUS. 2. Very well; successfully. Smith's new store opened last week and it's going great guns.

gun for|gun

v., informal 1. To hunt for with a gun; look hard for a chance to harm or defeat. The cowboy is gunning for the man who stole his horse. Bob is gunning for me because I got a higher mark than he did. 2. To try very hard to get. The man is gunning for first prize in the golf tournament.

jump the gun|beat|beat the gun|gun|jump

v. phr. 1. To start before the starter's gun in a race. The runners were called back because one of them jumped the gun. 2. informal To start before you should; start before anyone else. The new students were not supposed to come before noon, but one boy jumped the gun and came to school at eight in the morning. The students planned to say happy birthday to the principal when the teacher raised her hand, but Sarah jumped the gun and said it when he came into the room.

son of a gun|gun|son

n. phr., slang 1. A bad person; a person not liked. I don't like Charley; keep that son of a gun out of here.
Synonym: BAD ACTOR. 2. A mischievous rascal; a lively guy.

Often used in a joking way. The farmer said he would catch the son of a gun who let the cows out of the barn. Hello Bill, you old son of a gun!
Compare: SO AND SO. 3. Something troublesome; a hard job. The test today was a son of a gun. Used as an exclamation, usually to show surprise or disappointment. Son of a gun! I lost my car keys.
Compare: SON OF A BITCH.

stick to one's guns|gun|guns|stand by one's guns|s

v. phr. To hold to an aim or an opinion even though people try to stop you or say you are wrong. People laughed at Columbus when he said the world was round. He stuck to his guns and proved he was right. At first the boss would not give Jane the raise in pay she wanted, but she stood by her guns and he gave it to her.
Compare: STAND ONE'S GROUND.

till the last gun is fired|fire|fired|gun|last gun

adv. phr. Until the end; until everything is finished or decided. Fred always liked to stay at parties until the last gun was fired. The candidate didn't give up hope of being elected until the last gun was fired.

at gunpoint

at gunpoint
Also, at knifepoint. Under coercion, as in I'm going to hold him at gunpoint for that raise he promised me last year. Both these phrases were at first used literally and later also figuratively. [Mid-1900s]

gun

gun
In addition to the idiom beginning with gun, also see at gunpoint; big cheese; great guns; hired gun; hold a gun to someone's head; jump the gun; smoking gun; son of a bitch; stick to one's guns; under the gun.

gunpoint

gunpoint
at gunpoint
Under or as if under the threat of being shot.

hired gun

hired gun
1) A person, especially a professional killer, employed to kill someone, as in They thought the murder had been done by a hired gun. The noun gun has been slang for a professional criminal since the mid-1800s.
2) A person with special knowledge or expertise who is employed to resolve a complex problem. For example, The legal team was looking for a hired gun to handle the antitrust angle of the case. [Slang; 1960s]

hold a gun to someone's head

hold a gun to someone's head
Exert pressure on someone, as in How could I refuse when she was holding a gun to my head? This hyperbolic expression dates from the first half of the 1900s. Also see at gunpoint; hold someone's feet to the fire.

shotgun

shotgun
In addition to the idiom beginning with shotgun, also see ride shotgun.

under the gun

under the gun
Under pressure to solve a problem or meet a deadline, as in The reporter was under the gun for that article on taxes. This idiom alludes to a gun being pointed at a person to force him or her to act. [Colloquial; c. 1900]