Idioms are fun ways to spice up our language. They use words in a creative way to express something more than the literal meanings of the words themselves. This blog post explores idioms that involve the word “gun” or are related to the theme of “gun.” Even kids can understand these! Let’s dive into some interesting phrases you might hear in conversations.
Gun Idioms
Here are 20 gun idioms in English.
1. Jump the gun
Meaning: Start something too early
Example: He jumped the gun and sent the email without approval.
2. Stick to your guns
Meaning: Maintain your position
Example: She stuck to her guns during the debate.
3. Smoking gun
Meaning: Proof of wrongdoing
Example: The emails were the smoking gun in the investigation.
4. Under the gun
Meaning: Under pressure
Example: He felt under the gun to finish the project.
5. Gun for
Meaning: Actively pursue something
Example: He’s gunning for the top sales position.
6. Going great guns
Meaning: Doing very well
Example: Their business is going great guns this year.
7. Son of a gun
Meaning: An exclamation of surprise
Example: Son of a gun, that was a close game!
8. Flash in the pan
Meaning: Short-lived success
Example: His fame was just a flash in the pan.
9. Bite the bullet
Meaning: Endure a painful situation
Example: She bit the bullet and went to the dentist.
10. Shoot the breeze
Meaning: Chat casually
Example: Let’s shoot the breeze over coffee.
11. Shotgun approach
Meaning: Trying many methods
Example: They used a shotgun approach to solve the issue.
12. Hold a gun to one’s head
Meaning: Force someone to do something
Example: He felt like she was holding a gun to his head.
13. Silver bullet
Meaning: A simple solution to a big problem
Example: There’s no silver bullet for this issue.
14. Guns blazing
Meaning: Begin with a lot of force
Example: He went into the meeting guns blazing.
15. Over the gun
Meaning: Overly cautious
Example: She’s over the gun about security.
16. Ride shotgun
Meaning: Sit in the front passenger seat
Example: I got to ride shotgun on our road trip.
17. Look down the barrel of a gun
Meaning: Face a serious threat
Example: They’re looking down the barrel of a gun with these fines.
18. Gun shy
Meaning: Hesitant because of past experiences
Example: He’s gun shy after his last startup failed.
19. Big guns
Meaning: Important, influential people
Example: They brought in the big guns for this meeting.
20. Loose cannon
Meaning: Unpredictable, uncontrollable person
Example: He’s a loose cannon in meetings.
