son of a gun

American  

noun

PLURAL

sons of guns

1. a rogue; rascal; scoundrel.

   That son of a gun still owes me $20.

2. a tiresome or disagreeable matter, chore, etc.

3. (used as an affectionate greeting, term of address, etc.).

   Charlie Humpelmeyer, you old son of a gun, how are you?

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interjection

1. (used as an exclamation of irritation, surprise, dismay, etc.)

son of a gun British  

noun

1. slang  a rogue or rascal: used as a jocular form of address

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Etymology

Origin of son of a gun

First recorded in 1700–10; perhaps originally the illegitimate offspring of a soldier, though later influenced by British argot gun “thief”; gun moll

Example Sentences

“The story I’ve heard maybe 50 times about Mom and Dad’s honeymoon. After the national anthem, that’s what I was picturing. I looked into the upper decks and how my dad described walking up the aisle and seeing some of the coaches who were making sport of it, saying, ‘You cheap son of a gun!

From Los Angeles Times

“The sad part is, the museum was an archive, and it’s lost now. Son of a gun. ... We didn’t really have time to get anything out.”

From Los Angeles Times

Vinny Dotolo, chef and co-owner of Jon & Vinny’s, Helen’s Wines, Son of a Gun, Cookbook Market and Carmelized Productions: We participate in a lot of food events.That one stands out amongst the most exciting.

From Los Angeles Times

Jon Shook, chef and co-owner of Jon & Vinny’s, Helen’s Wines, Son of a Gun, Cookbook Market and Carmelized Productions: I remember when they first came up with the idea and we said, “This is a really hard thing to pull off.”

From Los Angeles Times

“He is a tough son of a gun with a strong depth of character and a decorated career despite really being put through it by this evil,” said his attorney, Michael Morrison, a veteran sex abuse lawyer who was part of nearly $1 billion in L.A. settlements in priest abuse cases.

From Los Angeles Times