hired gun
- a person hired to kill someone, as a gunfighter or professional killer.
- a person hired to bear arms and fight for another, as a bodyguard or mercenary.
- a person, as a politician or lobbyist, skilled at attaining power for others.
- a person hired to resolve difficult problems or disputes or to handle complex legal or business problems.
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Origin of hired gun
First recorded in 1965–70
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Idioms and Phrases with hired gun
hired gun
1
A person, especially a professional killer, employed to kill someone, as in They thought the murder had been done by a hired gun. The noun gun has been slang for a professional criminal since the mid-1800s.
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2
A person with special knowledge or expertise who is employed to resolve a complex problem. For example, The legal team was looking for a hired gun to handle the antitrust angle of the case. [Slang; 1960s]
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.