Jump To:

Saturday-night special

Saturday-night special

noun

a cheap, small-caliber handgun that is easily obtainable and concealable.
Saturday night special

Saturday night special

noun

a small handgun that is cheap and easy to buy

Synonyms

Saturday-night special

American

[sat-er-dey-nahyt, -dee-] / ˈsæt ər deɪˌnaɪt, -di- /

noun

Informal.

a cheap, small-caliber handgun that is easily obtainable and concealable.

Saturday night special British

noun

informal a small handgun that is cheap and easy to buy

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Saturday-night special

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Saturday-night special Saturday night special

The TracFone is sort of a cellular "Saturday-night special": pony up $99 and walk away with a cheap but effective phone with 60 minutes of calling time.

From Time Magazine Archive

BBQ is the Saturday night special; Sunday’s fried chicken is easily the best in town.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 14, 2017

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023