shotgun shack

English

Pronunciation

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Noun

shotgun shack (plural shotgun shacks)

1. (colloquial, idiomatic) A house with no internal barrier between the front and back doors.
   • 1980, Talking Heads (band), Once in a Lifetime (song)

     And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack
     And you may find yourself in another part of the world.

   • 2004: Familiar in working-class neighborhoods all over the South, the “shotgun” name reflects the fact a bullet fired at the front door could pass right out the back door, travelling the full length of the narrow house without ever encountering any obstructions. — Duncan Spencer in The Hill, November 8, 2004