son of a gun

American  

noun

sons of guns plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• sons of guns
  plural

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”; cf. gun moll

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

son of a gun

“I think we’ve always been seeing Alabama win games like we won against Ohio State, and I’ve felt, ‘Saban’s a lucky son of a gun.’

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 9, 2023

"Unfortunately, that's the next best guy in the division. He's a tough son of a gun, and he wasn't going to let me find that finish."

From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2021

“I may be the most immoral son of a gun in this room,” Biden said at a Democratic caucus in early 1975 as he argued against aid to Cambodia, according to the Wilmington Morning News.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 15, 2021

Then the universe brought Bill Lawrence into the mix, and he actually made the son of a gun happen.

From New York Times ● Jul. 14, 2021

De son of a gun laid up in dat house and slept and de lake come moved de house way off somewhere and Motor didn’t know nothin’ ’bout it till de storm wuz ’bout over.”

From "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston