son of a gun

English

Etymology

Euphemistic variant of son of a bitch. Folk etymologies suggesting nautical origins are not supported by evidence.

Noun

son of a gun (plural sons of guns)

1. (euphemistic) son of a bitch

   That son of a gun stole my wallet!

   • 1690, anonymous, Teagueland Jeſts, or Bogg-Witticisms, part 2, page 138:

     A plaugue tauke dee, dou damn’d Shon of a Gun, de Deevil carry dee away alive for me; […]

   • 1726, The British Apollo‎^[1], volume 2, third edition, [London]: Theodore Sanders, page 379:

     You Apollo's son, You're a son of a gun

   • 1848-50, William Makepeace Thackeray, Pendennis, ch 61:

     Why, I say, old feller, what a happy feller I once thought you, and what a miserable son of a gun you really are!

   • 1887, H. Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure‎^[2]:

     "Why, Job, you old son of a gun, where the deuce have we got to now - eh?"

2. Used encouragingly or to compliment

   You son of a gun, you did it!

Interjection

son of a gun

1. (euphemistic) Used to express anger, contempt, disgust, astonishment, disappointment, etc.

   Son of a gun! I just got stung by a wasp!

Translations

euphemism

• Arabic: اِبْنُ الفَاعِلَةِ‎ m (ibnu l-fāʿilati)

• Polish: skurczybyk (pl)

Further reading

• son of a gun on Wikipedia.Wikipedia