Saturday-night special
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See also: Saturday night special
English
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Attested from 1917, akin to Satuday-night pistol attested from 1915. Not entirely clear, but perhaps from phrases like “Saturday night pistol slaying” and “Saturday night pistol scrape” often found in early 20th-c. local crime reporting due to the fact that Saturday evening has been the peak time for homicides and similar crimes. Also likely to be enforced by the obsolete meaning of a cheap sale and usage of "Special" in the context of more powerful firearms like Colt Police Positive Special.
Noun
[edit]
Saturday-night special (plural Saturday-night specials)
- (US) An inexpensive, easily obtained handgun.
- Synonyms: junk gun, suicide special, Saturday-night pistol
- (US, historical) An overnight weekend train.
- (US, obsolete) A seasonal (usually October to December) sale on Saturday evening.
- (US, slang, obsolete) A girl who can be dated easily on Saturday evenings.
- (business, dated) An unexpected takeover bid that gives its opponents little time to respond.