gone coon, a


Also, a gone goose. A person in a hopeless situation, one who is doomed; a dead duck. For example, When he passed me, I knew I was a gone goose. These terms have survived such synonyms as gone chick, gone beaver, gone horse, and gone gander. Stephen Crane used the first in The Red Badge of Courage (1894): “I'm a gone coon this first time.” [Slang; early 1800s]

Words Nearby gone coon, a

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.