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 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

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

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

Pierre: “He was a good son of a gun.”

From Washington Post

“And then, son of a gun, if I’m not standing in front of red tape that was actually part of an official government document,” he says.

From Washington Post