89:
162:
192:: "Son of a gun, an epithet conveying contempt in a slight degree, and originally applied to boys born afloat, when women were permitted to accompany their husbands to sea; one admiral declared he literally was thus cradled, under the breast of a gun-carriage."
195:
Alternatively, historian Brian
Downing proposes that the phrase "son of a gun" originated from feudal knights' disdain for newly developed firearms and those who wielded them. An American
75:
defines the term in a different way as someone "affectionately or kindly regarded." The term can also be used as an interjection expressing surprise, mild annoyance or disappointment.
184:
direction that pregnant women aboard smaller naval vessels give birth in the space between the broadside guns, in order to keep the gangways and crew decks clear. Admiral
275:
207:; some people who read the weekly failed to realize that the story was a joke and reported it as true. This myth was the subject of an episode of the television show
203:
about a woman impregnated by a bullet that went through a soldier's testicles and into her womb. The story about the woman was a joke written by
51:
108:
Please help improve this article by looking for better, more reliable sources. Unreliable citations may be challenged and removed.
409:
384:
359:
281:
479:
123:
20:
252:
154:
402:
The
Military Revolution and Political Change: Origins of Democracy and Autocracy in Early Modern Europe
313:
102:
303:
229:
97:
328:
57:
426:
66:
8:
185:
88:
41:. It can be used encouragingly or to compliment, as in "You son of a gun, you did it!"
405:
380:
355:
204:
161:
199:
also proposes that the saying originated in a story reported in the
October 7, 1864
309:
34:
38:
484:
473:
30:
209:
170:
196:
181:
62:
453:
166:
308:. Vol. 2 (third ed.). : Theodore Sanders. p. 379.
70:
377:
The Sailor's Word-Book: The
Classic Dictionary of Nautical Terms
431:
158:
suggested that the phrase originally meant "a soldier's brat".
247:
245:
136:
The phrase is found in a piece of comic verse from 1726:
242:
427:"Did a Woman Become Pregnant from a Civil War Bullet?"
352:
The
British Sailor: a social history of the lower deck
213:, in which experiments showed the story implausible.
270:
268:
61:
both define "son of a gun" in
American English as a
301:
368:
265:
471:
230:"Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary entry"
354:. London: J.M. Dent & Sons. p. 196.
222:
180:The phrase potentially has its origin in a
404:. Princeton University Press. p. xi.
424:
124:Learn how and when to remove this message
160:
399:
52:Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
472:
374:
349:
82:
326:
13:
425:Mikkelson, David (March 7, 2000).
14:
496:
87:
446:
329:"[Various Etymologies]"
418:
393:
343:
320:
295:
16:English exclamatory expression
1:
216:
44:
21:Son of a gun (disambiguation)
253:"Webster's Dictionary entry"
78:
7:
379:. London: Conway Maritime.
201:The American Medical Weekly
10:
501:
147:You directly I'll puzzle;
18:
480:Military slang and jargon
333:The Gentleman's Magazine
327:Row, T. (January 1787).
277:Encarta Dictionary entry
188:wrote in his 1867 book,
155:The Gentleman's Magazine
152:A 1787 correspondent to
400:Downing, Brian (1992).
314:2027/mdp.39015030845070
145:Made up with bamboozle,
96:Some of this article's
190:The Sailor's Word-Book
177:
150:
143:You're a son of a gun,
454:"MythBusters Results"
164:
138:
375:Smyth, W.H. (2005).
350:Kemp, Peter (1970).
58:Webster's Dictionary
19:For other uses, see
186:William Henry Smyth
305:The British Apollo
178:
72:Encarta Dictionary
411:978-0-691-07886-1
386:978-0-85177-972-0
361:978-0-460-03957-4
205:Legrand G. Capers
141:You Apollo's son,
134:
133:
126:
492:
465:
464:
462:
460:
450:
444:
443:
441:
439:
422:
416:
415:
397:
391:
390:
372:
366:
365:
347:
341:
340:
339:(1). London: 39.
324:
318:
317:
299:
293:
292:
290:
289:
280:. Archived from
272:
263:
262:
260:
259:
249:
240:
239:
237:
236:
226:
129:
122:
118:
115:
109:
91:
83:
500:
499:
495:
494:
493:
491:
490:
489:
470:
469:
468:
458:
456:
452:
451:
447:
437:
435:
423:
419:
412:
398:
394:
387:
373:
369:
362:
348:
344:
325:
321:
300:
296:
287:
285:
274:
273:
266:
257:
255:
251:
250:
243:
234:
232:
228:
227:
223:
219:
165:A 19th-century
149:
146:
144:
142:
130:
119:
113:
110:
107:
92:
81:
47:
39:British English
24:
17:
12:
11:
5:
498:
488:
487:
482:
467:
466:
445:
417:
410:
392:
385:
367:
360:
342:
319:
294:
264:
241:
220:
218:
215:
139:
132:
131:
98:listed sources
95:
93:
86:
80:
77:
67:son of a bitch
46:
43:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
497:
486:
483:
481:
478:
477:
475:
455:
449:
434:
433:
428:
421:
413:
407:
403:
396:
388:
382:
378:
371:
363:
357:
353:
346:
338:
334:
330:
323:
315:
311:
307:
306:
298:
284:on 2007-11-11
283:
279:
278:
271:
269:
254:
248:
246:
231:
225:
221:
214:
212:
211:
206:
202:
198:
193:
191:
187:
183:
175:
174:
168:
163:
159:
157:
156:
148:
137:
128:
125:
117:
105:
104:
99:
94:
90:
85:
84:
76:
74:
73:
68:
64:
60:
59:
54:
53:
42:
40:
36:
32:
28:
22:
457:. Retrieved
448:
436:. Retrieved
430:
420:
401:
395:
376:
370:
351:
345:
336:
332:
322:
304:
297:
286:. Retrieved
282:the original
276:
256:. Retrieved
233:. Retrieved
224:
208:
200:
194:
189:
179:
172:
153:
151:
140:
135:
120:
111:
100:
71:
56:
50:
48:
27:Son of a gun
26:
25:
210:MythBusters
101:may not be
31:exclamation
474:Categories
288:2006-06-02
258:2006-06-02
235:2006-06-02
217:References
197:urban myth
182:Royal Navy
45:Definition
79:Etymology
63:euphemism
438:July 21,
302:(1726).
167:gun deck
114:May 2015
103:reliable
35:American
173:Victory
459:23 May
432:Snopes
408:
383:
358:
29:is an
485:Slang
461:2024
440:2005
406:ISBN
381:ISBN
356:ISBN
337:lvii
171:HMS
65:for
55:and
49:The
37:and
310:hdl
33:in
476::
429:.
335:.
331:.
267:^
244:^
176:).
69:.
463:.
442:.
414:.
389:.
364:.
316:.
312::
291:.
261:.
238:.
169:(
127:)
121:(
116:)
112:(
106:.
23:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
