Words Matter

We speak casually about dodging a bullet… shooting the breeze… taking aim and smoking guns. The language of gun violence is pervasive in our culture.But it doesn’t need to be that way. We can be conscious of the phrases and metaphors from our vocabulary and begin to change the conversation about gun violence one word at a time.

Download a pdf print file of the Gun Thesaurus

Gun Term Alternative
A
ammunition facts, evidence
armed with the facts well-informed
aim for hope to achieve, strive
ask point blank ask directly
B
bite the bullet just do it
bullet-points specifics, key points
bullet-proof invincible
bull’s eye exact spot
C
caught in the crossfire caught in the middle
cheap shot unfair criticism, low blow
D
dodged a bullet avoided trouble
don’t shoot the messenger not responsible
E
even shot 50/50 chance
F
faster than a speeding bullet high speed
‘Fire Away!’ ‘Get Started!’
firing blanks ineffective, not succeeding
fire back responding quickly
G
get shot get vaccinated
going great guns exceeding expectations
gun it speed up
gun shy reticent, hesitant
gunning for someone planning to harm
H
half-cocked reckless
high caliber exceptional, first-rate
hired gun paid specialist
held a gun to my head threatened
hot shot show-off, braggart
I
in the crosshairs scrutinized
J
jumped the gun started too early
‘Just shoot me!’ ‘I give up!’
K
kill joy spoil sport, cynic
killer instinct ruthless, relentless
L
like shooting fish in a barrel too easy
lock, stock and barrel all inclusive, entirely
locked-and-loaded ready, prepared
M
magic bullet perfect solution
misfired erred
missed the mark imperfect, fell short
moving target hard to pin down
O
outgunned outmatched
on target accurate, so far/so good
P
point blank direct, precise
point & shoot simple
pot shots jabs
pull the trigger get going, start
Q
quick on the trigger rash, hasty
R
rapid fire quickly, speedy
‘Ready, aim, fire!’ ‘Go!’
riding shot gun protecting a companion
rifle through files search
S
‘She/he is a pistol!’ ‘She/he has spunk!’
shoot first, ask later impetuous
shoot for try, attempt
shoot for the moon set high goals
shoot from the hip impulsive
shoot me an email send me an email
shoot off your mouth talk recklessly
shoot out confrontation
shoot the breeze chat, visit
shot down my idea rejected
shot in the dark wild guess
shot myself in the foot made a mistake
silver bullet perfect solution
smoking gun proof beyond doubt
‘Son of a gun!’ ‘Darn!’
stick to my guns uncompromising
straight shooter frank & honest
sweating bullets nervous, worried
T
take aim focus
take a shot at speculate, try
target market intended audience
top gun recognized expert
trigger a response cause a reaction
trigger alerts heads up, warnings
trigger happy impulsive, foolhardy
trip your trigger make you happy
U
under fire being criticized
under the gun feeling pressure
V  
   
W
whole shooting match in total, the works
with guns blazing all-out effort
worth a shot worth trying
X
Y
‘You’re killing me!’ ‘You’re too much!’
Z