In British naval slang this term refers to a child of questionable parentage conceived on the gun deck, hence 'son of a gun'. However, children born on board British naval vessels to enlisted men were referred to as a 'true son of a gun'. Admiral William Henry Smyth wrote in his 1867 book, the Sailor's Word-book:[1]
Son of a gun, an epithet conveying contempt in a slight degree, and originally applied to boys born afloat, when women were permitted to accompany their husbands to sea; one admiral declared he literally was thus cradled, under the breast of a gun-carriage.
When a Royal Navy vessel entered a port it was common for local prostitutes to visit the ship and elicit custom from the sailors. The sailors and prostitutes then had sexual relations, usually on one of the gun decks beside the many guns carried, one of the few places Able and Ordinary Seaman could obtain some sort of privacy. Should the prostitute subsequently fall pregnant by the sailor, she would then attempt to obtain compensation from the father or the navy for the upkeep of the child. This was usually not forthcoming and the father's name would be withheld. When it was fairly certain that the child had been conceived upon board one of His Majesty's vessels, the infant would be entered into the ship's records as 'child born to gun number X', the X denoting the gun position the sailor responsible for the errant behaviour was allocated-to, his name being omitted to maintain probity. These children born in this manner had no father's name on any official records and the male ones were referred to by knowing sailors as being 'sons of guns', a term denoting illegitimacy and contempt.
American English
In American folk idiom (American), this term has similar meaning to the British one, but was derived from military bureaucratic treatment of young enlisted men of uncertain familial background.
Encarta Dictionary defines the term in a different way as someone "affectionately or kindly regarded". [4]
The term can also be used as an interjection expressing surprise, mild annoyance or disappointment. [3][4]
Decrease in frequency
Sometime during the late 1990s or early 2000s, the term "bitch", or "son of a bitch" began to become more publicized than previously in the United States and other Western countries. Due to this, usage of "son of a gun" as a euphemism for "son of a bitch" has decreased significantly, though "son of a gun" is still sometimes used humorously.
The term in popular culture
Music
Ragtime Cowboy Joe, the fight song of the University of Wyoming, contains the phrase "He's a high-falutin', rootin', tootin', son of a gun from old Wyoming."
Sgt. Barry Sadler's song "One Son-of-a-Gun of a Gun" about the AR15.
Roger Miller's song "Dang Me" has the line "My pappy was a pistol, I'm a son of a gun"
Charlie Daniels's song, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", contains the line "I told you once, you son of a gun, that I'm the best there's ever been." In the song, Johnny speaks this line to the Devil after defeating him at a fiddle match.
Frank Zappa used this euphemism in his song Bow Tie Daddy: "Just have your fun, you old son of a gun,/ Then drive home in your Lincoln."
in a recent critically acclaimed Indian movie "Oram po" ( Tamil language ), a character is named as "son of Gun". The character is an automechanic involved in the illegal autorickshaw (three wheelers) in India.
The Poets and Pornstars song has a line which goes: "And I've something to say, Momma I'm a son of a gun".
Blonde Redhead has a song called 23 with the repeated line "he was a son of a gun".
Jimmy Buffett's song "Son of a Son of a Sailor" from the 1978 album of same name has the phrase in the chorus: "Son of a gun; load the last ton; One step ahead of the jailer".
Recently used by Stefanie Heinzmann in her first single "My Man is a Mean Man": "He's a mean, mean one, son of a gun".
In Hank Williams's song "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" (that has been covered by numerous artists), the refrain ends with the phrase "Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou".
In the Bone Thugs N' Harmony song "Ghetto Cowboy" Krayzie Bone Says: "Now when we get to this saloon, you don't worry, wait outside, Don't be stealin' nobody's damn horses, Stepped inside the bar, Layzie Kid you son of a gun" Layzie Bone later answers with Ey man I'm glad you made it safely, now let's go have some fun,
And this my partner Powder, he's a young gun.
And there is also a Demo band from sweden called Son of a Gun.
In 1926, Paul Hurst directed the yet another Western titled Son of a gun. [6]
In a 2007 tamil movie "Orampo", which showcases illegal auto racing in Chennai city has a character, who calls himself "Son of Gun"
Television
In the TV series Columbo, Lieutenant Columbo uses the phrase "I'll be the son of a gun" on several occasions to express (or pretend) Astonishment
MythBusters had a 2005 episode titled Son of a Gun in which they tested the urban legend that an American Civil War-era child was conceived when a bullet was shot at a soldier, ricocheting off of his tibia, travelling through his scrotum, and puncturing a testicle, picked up some semen, and landed in the abdomen of a nearby woman, impregnating her. The myth was soundly busted, but was published in the post Civil War medical literature.
In the series Bewitched, Larry Tate calls Darrin Stevens a 'son of a gun' on numerous occasions, usually when expressing admiration for him (eg. for winning an account or being a ladies man).
In the Anime Cowboy Bebop chapter 20, Andy's soup is called son of a gun.
The, now retired, WWE professional wrestler Rick Flair used to describe himself as the "Kiss stealin', wheelin' dealin', jet flying, limousine riding, son of a gun"
The Son of a gun is a character trait in the roguelikeDoomRL.
Sun of a Gun is a sub-boss in the video game Chrono Cross that resembles a mechanical sun and uses its mechanical "rays" to fire bullets and other projectiles.
Products
STP has a series of car care products named "Son of a Gun"; stock car driver Richard Petty appears on the product labelling and corresponding TV commercials.
Encyclopedia
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