| Revision as of 23:26, 27 March 2001 edit198.207.223.xxx (talk)No edit summary← Previous edit | Latest revision as of 02:16, 12 September 2024 edit undo96.227.230.206 (talk) →Modern usage | ||
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| {{Short description|Person next to the driver, turned into a game}} | |||
| In the ], there is a longstanding tradition of determining who gets to sit in the seat next to the driver of a motor vehicle. In order to claim that seat, one must "call shotgun" according to a set of standard rules. | |||
| {{Use mdy dates|date=November 2019}} | |||
| {{other uses}} | |||
| {{Infobox phrase | |||
| | title = Riding shotgun | |||
| | image = Indians Attacking a Stage-Coach BAH-p243.png | |||
| | caption = The driver is holding the whip with the ] on his left. | |||
| | origin = A ] riding alongside a ] driver (derived from "]") | |||
| | meaning = {{Unbulleted list| | |||
| * Sitting next to the ] in a moving ] | |||
| * Giving support or aid to someone | |||
| }} | |||
| | coined_by = Alfred Henry Lewis (1905) | |||
| }} | |||
| "'''Riding shotgun'''" was a phrase used to describe the ] who rides alongside a ] driver, typically armed with a ] ], called a ], to ward off ]s or hostile ]s. In modern use, it refers to the practice of sitting alongside the ] in a moving ]. The coining of this phrase dates to 1905 at the latest.<ref name="sunsettrail">{{Cite book |last=Lewis |first=Alfred Henry |url=https://archive.org/details/sunsettrail00lewigoog/page/n373 |title=The Sunset Trail |publisher=] |year=1905 |location=New York |pages=349 |language=en |author-link=Alfred Henry Lewis |access-date=March 30, 2018 |via=]}}</ref> | |||
| To call shotgun is to, at minimum, yell out "shotgun" while approaching the vehicle. The specific rules are the subject of much heated but good natured debate. A number of websites claim to have the official rules, but <i>clearly</i> only a free and open consensus site such as Misplaced Pages has the moral and intellectual <i>right</i> to make that claim. | |||
| ==Etymology== | |||
| Therefore, by the powers vested in Misplaced Pages by the ], the following rules are hereby decreed: | |||
| The expression "riding shotgun" is derived from "]", a colloquial term for "express messenger", when ] travel was popular during the American ] and the ] period in ]. The person rode alongside the driver. The first known use of the phrase "riding shotgun" was in the 1905 novel ''The Sunset Trail'' by ].<ref name="sunsettrail" /> | |||
| *the person nearest to the front passenger side door gets shotgun | |||
| *Same as above except when someone bigger can push them out of the way | |||
| {{Blockquote|Wyatt and Morgan Earp were in the service of The Express Company. They went often as guards—"riding shotgun," it was called—when the stage bore unusual treasure.|author=Alfred Henry Lewis|title=''The Sunset Trail''|source=Chapter 14}} | |||
| *the only one allowed to carry the shotgun | |||
| *the person that is most accurate in hitting roadsigns at 40 ] or faster | |||
| It was later used in print and especially film depiction of stagecoaches and wagons in the ] in danger of being robbed or attacked by ]s. A special armed employee of the express service using the stage for transportation of bullion or cash would sit beside the driver, carrying a short ] (or alternatively a ]),<ref>{{Cite book |last=Fradkin |first=Philip L. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QILdMe7lYXgC |title=Stagecoach: Wells Fargo and the American West |date=April 24, 2002 |publisher=] |isbn=978-0-743227-62-9 |location=New York, New York |language=en |oclc=893160059 |author-link=Philip L. Fradkin |via=]}}</ref> to provide an armed response in case of threat to the cargo, which was usually a strongbox.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Agnew |first=Jeremy |title=The Old West in Fact and Film: History Versus Hollywood |publisher=] |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-786468-88-1 |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |pages=17 |language=en |oclc=817224898}}</ref> Absence of an armed person in that position often signaled that the stage was not carrying a strongbox, but only passengers.<ref name="phrases">{{cite web |last=Martin |first=Gary |title=Riding shotgun |url=http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/riding-shotgun.html |access-date=May 1, 2010 |work=The Phrase Finder}}</ref> | |||
| *the person that can create the complete works of Shakespeare in Braile given enough roadsigns) | |||
| ==Historical examples== | |||
| ===Tombstone, Arizona Territory=== | |||
| On the evening of March 15, 1881, a Kinnear & Company ] carrying US$26,000 in ] ({{inflation|US|26000|1881|r=-3|fmt=eq}}) was en route from the boom town of ], ] to ], the nearest freight terminal.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=O'Neal |first1=Bill |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5KLrfdOrI78C&pg=PA180 |title=Encyclopedia of Western Gunfighters |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |year=1979 |isbn=978-0-806123-35-6 |location=Norman, Oklahoma |pages=180 |language=en |oclc=1066549530 |access-date=April 14, 2011}}</ref> ], who had run for ] Sheriff and was contesting the election he lost due to ], was temporarily working once again as the Wells Fargo shotgun messenger. He had taken the reins and driver's seat in Contention City because the usual driver, a well-known and popular man named Eli "Budd" Philpot, was ill. Philpot was riding shotgun. | |||
| Near ], just outside ], a man stepped into the road and commanded them to "Hold!" Three cowboys attempted to rob the stage. Paul, in the driver's seat, fired his ] and emptied his ] at the robbers, wounding a cowboy later identified as Bill Leonard in the groin. Philpot, riding shotgun, and passenger Peter Roerig, riding in the rear ], were both shot and killed.<ref>{{cite web |last=Willis |first=Warren F. |date=2008 |title=Tombstone, AZ |url=http://silverstateghosttowns.com/tombstone-az.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324044531/http://silverstateghosttowns.com/tombstone-az.html |archive-date=March 24, 2012 |access-date=May 17, 2011 |website=Silver State Ghost Towns}}</ref> The horses spooked and Paul wasn't able to bring the stage under control for almost a mile, leaving the robbers with nothing. Paul, who normally rode shotgun, later said he thought the first shot killing Philpot had been meant for him.<ref>{{cite web |title=Home Page |url=http://historyraider.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110208143417/http://historyraider.com/ |archive-date=February 8, 2011 |access-date=February 11, 2011 |website=History Raiders}}</ref> | |||
| When ] first arrived in Tombstone in December 1879, he initially took a job as a stagecoach ] for ], guarding shipments of silver bullion. When Earp was appointed Pima County Deputy Sheriff on July 27, 1881, his brother ] took over his job.<ref name="wgbh">{{cite AV media |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/transcript/wyatt-transcript/ |title=WGBH American Experience: Wyatt Earp, Complete Program Transcript |date=January 25, 2010 |publisher=] |number=2 (season 22) |access-date=September 10, 2017 |archive-date=January 30, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170130081133/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/transcript/wyatt-transcript/ |url-status=dead }}{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |fix-attempted=yes |url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/wyatt-transcript/}}</ref> | |||
| ===Historical weapon=== | |||
| When ] began regular stagecoach service from ] to ], ] in 1858, they issued shotguns to its drivers and guards for defense along the perilous 2,800 mile route.<ref name="pmo">{{cite magazine |last=Jones |first=Spencer |date=June 2004 |title=Revival Of The Coach Gun |url=http://www.popularmechanics.com/outdoors/sports/1277346.html?page=1 |magazine=] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930024328/http://www.popularmechanics.com/outdoors/sports/1277346.html?page=1 |archive-date=September 30, 2007 |access-date=March 18, 2007}}</ref> The guard was called a ] and they were issued a ], typically a 10-gauge or 12-gauge, short, double-barreled shotgun.<ref name="Peacemakers">{{cite book |last=Wilson |first=R. L. |title=The Peacemakers: Arms and Adventure in the American West |publisher=Book Sales, Inc. |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-785818-92-2 |location=New York |pages=121, 197, 244 |oclc=566819978}}</ref> | |||
| ==Modern usage== | |||
| The term has been applied to an informal "]", typically played by younger people. When 3 or more people are getting into a vehicle, the first person to say "shotgun" determines who rides beside the driver. In some regions, calling shotgun too early disqualifies one from the game. Variable rules could apply, such as participants needing to be within view of the car, or having to be on the same level as the car (the same parking lot, garage, etc.). The game is democratic by leaving out age ], except parents and ] automatically get shotgun (if they so choose); and it mitigates conflicts that may have previously occurred when deciding who gets to ride shotgun.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Official Rules for Calling Shotgun |url=https://www.shotgunrules.com/ |access-date=October 25, 2017 |website=ShotgunRules.com}}</ref> | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| {{Wiktionary}} | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| ==References== | |||
| {{Reflist}} | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
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Latest revision as of 02:16, 12 September 2024
Person next to the driver, turned into a gameFor other uses, see Riding shotgun (disambiguation).
 The driver is holding the whip with the shotgun messenger on his left. | |
| Origin/etymology | A bodyguard riding alongside a stagecoach driver (derived from "shotgun messenger") |
|---|---|
| Meaning | |
| Coined by | Alfred Henry Lewis (1905) |
"Riding shotgun" was a phrase used to describe the bodyguard who rides alongside a stagecoach driver, typically armed with a break-action shotgun, called a coach gun, to ward off bandits or hostile Native Americans. In modern use, it refers to the practice of sitting alongside the driver in a moving vehicle. The coining of this phrase dates to 1905 at the latest.
Etymology
The expression "riding shotgun" is derived from "shotgun messenger", a colloquial term for "express messenger", when stagecoach travel was popular during the American Wild West and the Colonial period in Australia. The person rode alongside the driver. The first known use of the phrase "riding shotgun" was in the 1905 novel The Sunset Trail by Alfred Henry Lewis.
Wyatt and Morgan Earp were in the service of The Express Company. They went often as guards—"riding shotgun," it was called—when the stage bore unusual treasure.
— Alfred Henry Lewis, The Sunset Trail, Chapter 14
It was later used in print and especially film depiction of stagecoaches and wagons in the Old West in danger of being robbed or attacked by bandits. A special armed employee of the express service using the stage for transportation of bullion or cash would sit beside the driver, carrying a short shotgun (or alternatively a rifle), to provide an armed response in case of threat to the cargo, which was usually a strongbox. Absence of an armed person in that position often signaled that the stage was not carrying a strongbox, but only passengers.
Historical examples
Tombstone, Arizona Territory
On the evening of March 15, 1881, a Kinnear & Company stagecoach carrying US$26,000 in silver bullion (equivalent to $821,000 in 2023) was en route from the boom town of Tombstone, Arizona Territory to Benson, Arizona, the nearest freight terminal. Bob Paul, who had run for Pima County Sheriff and was contesting the election he lost due to ballot-stuffing, was temporarily working once again as the Wells Fargo shotgun messenger. He had taken the reins and driver's seat in Contention City because the usual driver, a well-known and popular man named Eli "Budd" Philpot, was ill. Philpot was riding shotgun.
Near Drew's Station, just outside Contention City, a man stepped into the road and commanded them to "Hold!" Three cowboys attempted to rob the stage. Paul, in the driver's seat, fired his shotgun and emptied his revolver at the robbers, wounding a cowboy later identified as Bill Leonard in the groin. Philpot, riding shotgun, and passenger Peter Roerig, riding in the rear dickey seat, were both shot and killed. The horses spooked and Paul wasn't able to bring the stage under control for almost a mile, leaving the robbers with nothing. Paul, who normally rode shotgun, later said he thought the first shot killing Philpot had been meant for him.
When Wyatt Earp first arrived in Tombstone in December 1879, he initially took a job as a stagecoach shotgun messenger for Wells Fargo, guarding shipments of silver bullion. When Earp was appointed Pima County Deputy Sheriff on July 27, 1881, his brother Morgan Earp took over his job.
Historical weapon
When Wells, Fargo & Co. began regular stagecoach service from Tipton, Missouri to San Francisco, California in 1858, they issued shotguns to its drivers and guards for defense along the perilous 2,800 mile route. The guard was called a shotgun messenger and they were issued a Coach gun, typically a 10-gauge or 12-gauge, short, double-barreled shotgun.
Modern usage
The term has been applied to an informal "game", typically played by younger people. When 3 or more people are getting into a vehicle, the first person to say "shotgun" determines who rides beside the driver. In some regions, calling shotgun too early disqualifies one from the game. Variable rules could apply, such as participants needing to be within view of the car, or having to be on the same level as the car (the same parking lot, garage, etc.). The game is democratic by leaving out age seniority, except parents and significant others automatically get shotgun (if they so choose); and it mitigates conflicts that may have previously occurred when deciding who gets to ride shotgun.
See also
References
- ^ Lewis, Alfred Henry (1905). The Sunset Trail. New York: A. L. Burt Company. p. 349. Retrieved March 30, 2018 – via Internet Archive.
- Fradkin, Philip L. (April 24, 2002). Stagecoach: Wells Fargo and the American West. New York, New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-0-743227-62-9. OCLC 893160059 – via Google Books.
- Agnew, Jeremy (2012). The Old West in Fact and Film: History Versus Hollywood. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-786468-88-1. OCLC 817224898.
- Martin, Gary. "Riding shotgun". The Phrase Finder. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
- O'Neal, Bill (1979). Encyclopedia of Western Gunfighters. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. p. 180. ISBN 978-0-806123-35-6. OCLC 1066549530. Retrieved April 14, 2011.
- Willis, Warren F. (2008). "Tombstone, AZ". Silver State Ghost Towns. Archived from the original on March 24, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2011.
- "Home Page". History Raiders. Archived from the original on February 8, 2011. Retrieved February 11, 2011.
- WGBH American Experience: Wyatt Earp, Complete Program Transcript. PBS. January 25, 2010. Archived from the original on January 30, 2017. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
- Jones, Spencer (June 2004). "Revival Of The Coach Gun". Popular Mechanics. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved March 18, 2007.
- Wilson, R. L. (2005). The Peacemakers: Arms and Adventure in the American West. New York: Book Sales, Inc. pp. 121, 197, 244. ISBN 978-0-785818-92-2. OCLC 566819978.
- "The Official Rules for Calling Shotgun". ShotgunRules.com. Retrieved October 25, 2017.