Gunman or Man With a Gun

[cabinetman]

Watching the news this morning there was a report of a "gunman". So, I said to my wife, "Gunman sounds different than man with a gun". If it was a woman, would it be a "gunwoman"? I've never heard that terminology used. LOML just shook her head, as she does when I go off like that.

So, I said "I have a gun, but I'm not a gunman". At least not at the moment.
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[BrazosJake]

The common term for a bird-hunter's dog is "gun dog". So does this mean the dogs are armed?

[cabinetman]

The common term for a bird-hunter's dog is "gun dog". So does this mean the dogs are armed?

Our verbage must drive foreigners bananas.
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[Alex Franke]

To me a gunman is someone running around with a gun who has criminal intent or actions -- especially someone who is skilled with the gun. (In contrast, I'd say shooter, although it may include criminals, usually describes noncriminals, like a skeet shooter; triggerman/hitman is perhaps a professional gunman; and marksman/sharpshooter/etc is a professional shooter.)

I actually happen to know about the "man" part. Most people know that man can mean "of the human race" (like mankind, or even human), and that's why it's used in words like gunman. What a lot of people don't know is that it used to only mean that...

Back in the day, the word for a male adult was wer (as in werewolf, a male human-wolf), and the term for female adult was wif (as in midwife, which was traditionally a woman who assisted n childbirth.) Wif became wife, which later came to mean a married woman, and man later came to replace wer as an adult male human.

Lately the "of the human race" usage of man has been considered sexist because it's overshadowed by the "adult male human" definition. This helped lead to all the "woman" words. So if it's not already a word, and you use it enough, then gunwoman will enter into the English language and start getting picked up by dictionaries!

[shoottx]

I think it would now be "gunperson"

[LinuxRandal]

Around my parts, its gunman if someone has already been shot, and person with a gun (potential), if they have not. The first one gets a lot less opportunity to lay down his/her weapon(s).

[Bruce Cohen]

If you're on the wrong side of the barrel, then the correct term is SIR.

Bruce

[Tom Miller]

Postal carrier? Can't go wrong with that.




(Standing by for a well-deserved barrage of third-class mail from our first-class carrier forum members. )

Regards,
Tom

[gsmittle]

If you're on the wrong side of the barrel, then the correct term is SIR.

Bruce

I always thought the first thing you said if you were on the wrong side of the barrel was, "HELP ME, (insert deity of choice here)!!!!!!"

Interesting how if you're holding the gun, it's not that big, but when it's pointed at you, the muzzle looks big enough to crawl into and take a nap!

g.

[RAFlorida]

G. you make a good point.

A few years back I had to pull my 9mm out to stop a person from doing some serious harm to me and my wife. I though, "oh crap, is this gun big enough to stop this idiot!" Well, after the cops took the guy in to custody, he asked the cop what that gun was I had; he said he thought it was at least a 45! Go to show, depends on what you see, the hammer or the barrel.

[Bruce Cohen]

but when it's pointed at you, the muzzle looks big enough to crawl into and take a nap!

g.

I try not to let that happen to me too often, not good a long life or something.