Some 16th-century Italian clergymen tried to ban coffee because they believed it to be “satanic.” However, Pope Clement VII loved coffee so much that he lifted the ban and had coffee baptized in 1600.
SHOTGUN
shotgun, scattergun
(noun) firearm that is a double-barreled smoothbore shoulder weapon for firing shot at short ranges
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
shotgun (countable and uncountable, plural shotguns)
(firearms) A gun which fires loads typically consisting of small metal balls, called shot, from a cartridge.
(slang) The front passenger seat in a vehicle, next to the driver; so called because the position of the shotgun-armed guard on a horse-drawn stage-coach, wagon train, or gold transport was next to the driver on a forward-mounted bench seat.
(US, especially, Southern US) A one-story dwelling with no hallways or corridors, with the rooms arranged in a straight line.
(American football) An offensive formation in which the quarterback receives the snap at a distance behind the center, often with a running back set to one or both sides of him.
(attributive, as a modifier) Relating to shotguns, either in a present or past sense: e.g. shotgun cartridges, shotgun seat.
(attributive, as a modifier) Relating to the threat of force or dubious means: e.g. shotgun wedding, shotgun diplomacy.
(attributive, as a modifier) Relating to the use of numerous, diverse or indiscriminate means to achieve a particular result: e.g. shotgun marketing, a shotgun approach.
Synonyms
• (gun which fires loads of small metal balls): scattergun
• (the front passenger seat in a vehicle, next to the driver): death seat
Verb
shotgun (third-person singular simple present shotguns, present participle shotgunning, simple past and past participle shotgunned)
(slang, smoking) To inhale from a pipe or other smoking device, followed shortly by an exhalation into someone else’s mouth.
(transitive, informal) To verbally lay claim to (something)
(transitive, baseball) To hit the ball directly back at the pitcher.
(US, slang) To rapidly drink a beverage from a can by making a hole in the bottom of the can, placing the hole above one's mouth, and opening the top.
(US, slang) To send out many (requests, answers to a question, etc), especially in the hope that one obtains a positive result (i.e. reveals useful information, is correct, etc), in the manner of a shotgun firing many balls of shot such that one may hit a target.
(computing, slang) To employ the technique of shotgun debugging.
Anagrams
• gunshot, hognuts, hotguns, hutongs, noughts, unghost
Source: Wiktionary
Shot"gun`, n.
Definition: A light, smooth-bored gun, often double-barreled, especially designed for firing small shot at short range, and killing small game.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
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