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

"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

"Unless they bring that son of a gun back," quipped Bob Baffert, West Coast's trainer.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 27, 2018

But if that sneaky son of a gun thought it was going to terrorize Rex Walls’s little girl, it had by God got another think coming.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls