Gun/guns

Origin of: Gun/guns

Gun/guns

<p>In the sense of to accelerate an automobile engine, dates from the 1930s, and may have derived from earlier WWI pilots&rsquo; jargon, &lsquo;to give it gun&rsquo;, which meant to accelerate an airplane&rsquo;s engine. In the sense of an expert, usually in a sporting context, especially cricket, as in a &lsquo;gun cricketer&rsquo;, &lsquo;gun batsman&rsquo;, &#39;gun fielder&#39;, &#39;gun bowler&#39; etc. is originally Australian and NZ colloquial from the late 20th/early 21st century. Guns meaning biceps is American slang, dating from the 1970s, while guns meaning a woman&rsquo;s breasts, especially if prominent, is also American slang from the early 21st century.</p>