gunsel

American  

[guhn-suhl] / ˈgʌn səl /

noun

Slang.

1. a criminal armed with a gun.

2. a young man in a sexual relationship with an older man; catamite.

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gunsel British  

/ ˈɡʌnsəl /

noun

1. a catamite

2. a stupid or inexperienced person, esp a youth

3. a criminal who carries a gun

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Etymology

Origin of gunsel

First recorded in 1910–15; probably from Yiddish genzel “gosling,” from Middle High German gensel (diminutive of gans “goose”); armed criminal sense by influence of gun ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

A 14-minute comic synopsis of low-class urban life that is vaguely reminiscent of Fellini's work, Murray is the picaresque tale of a vulpine conman who rises from petty-ante rumrunner to gunsel for "the Mob."

From Time Magazine Archive

Julian Beck, the grand old mandarin of the Living Theater, is a cadaverous hoot as Dutch Schultz's gunsel.

From Time Magazine Archive

And then again, a psychotic or a professional gunsel may not register at all.

From The Circuit Riders by Schoenherr, John