Gun

subs. (old).—1.  A lie. A New Canting Dictionary, 1725. For synonyms, see WHOPPER.

  2.  (common).—A thief; specifically, a MAGSMAN (q.v.) or street-artist. Also GUN-SMITH and GUNNER. GUNNING = thieving. [An abbreviation of GONOF (q.v.).] See AREA-SNEAK and THIEVES.

  1858.  A. MAYHEW, Paved with Gold, bk. II., ch. i., p. 70. I tell you you ain’t a-going to make a GUN (thief) of this here young flat.

  1868.  Temple Bar, xxv., 213. … returned to his old trade of GUNSMITH, GUNNING being the slang term for thieving, or going on the cross.

  1882.  Cornhill Magazine, p. 640. Flats graft for GUNS.

  1889.  C. T. CLARKSON and J. HALL RICHARDSON, Police! p. 345. ‘GUNNERS’ and ‘grasshoppers’ sneak about watching their opportunities.

  3.  (American).—A revolver. For synonyms, see MEAT-IN-THE-POT.

  4.  (Irish).—A toddy glass. See IN THE GUN.

  Verb (American).—1.  To consider with attention.

  1859.  G. W. MATSELL, Vocabulum; or, The Rogue’s Lexicon, s.v. GUNNED. ‘The copper GUNNED me as if he was fly to my mug,’ the officer looked at me as if he knew my face.

  2.  (American).—To strive hard; to make a violent effort: e.g., to GUN A STOCK = to use every means to produce a ‘break’; when supplies are heavy and holders would be unable to resist.

  IN THE GUN, phr. (old).—Drunk. For synonyms, see DRINKS and SCREWED.

  c. 1696.  B. E., A New Dictionary of the Canting Crew, s.v.

  1785.  GROSE, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, s.v. GUN. He is IN THE GUN; he is drunk: perhaps from an allusion to a vessel called a GUN, used for ale in the universities.

  SON OF A GUN. See SON.

  SURE AS A GUN, phr. (common).—Quite certain; inevitable.

  1633.  JONSON, The Tale of a Tub, ii., 1. ’Tis right; he has spoke as TRUE AS A GUN, believe it.

  c. 1696.  B. E., A New Dictionary of the Canting Crew.

  1694.  CONGREVE, The Double Dealer, v., 20. All turned topsy-turvy, as SURE AS A GUN.

  1720.  GAY, A New Song of New Similes. SURE AS A GUN she’ll drop a tear.

  1749.  FIELDING, Tom Jones, bk. xviii., ch. ix. As SURE AS A GUN I have hit o’ the very right o’t.

  1759.  STERNE, Tristram Shandy, vol. vi., ch. xxvi. Think ye not that, in striking these in,—he might, peradventure, strike something out? as SURE AS A GUN.

  1825.  P. EGAN, The Life of an Actor, iv. By gum! he roared out, sir, AS SURE AS A GUN.

  d. 1866.  F. S. MAHONY (‘Father Prout’), Reliques, I. 19. ‘Vert-Vert, the Parrot,’ trans. of GRESSET.

  1849.  THACKERAY, Pendennis, ch. lviii. In every party of the nobility his name’s down as SURE AS A GUN.

  1891.  N. GOULD, The Double Event, p. 141. Nobbed, SURE AS A GUN!

  1892.  G. M. FENN, The New Mistress, xxxv. They were both down there about that school money, Betsey, as SURE AS A GUN.