{"id":2585,"date":"2022-03-15T17:55:20","date_gmt":"2022-03-15T17:55:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=2585"},"modified":"2022-03-15T17:55:20","modified_gmt":"2022-03-15T17:55:20","slug":"riding-shotgun-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/riding-shotgun-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Riding Shotgun - Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Is your friend sitting next to you in the passenger seat of your car? If so, you could say they are \"riding shotgun<\/em>\" on the road trip. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n

Meaning<\/h2>\n

The expression \"riding shotgun<\/em>\" means that you're riding in the passenger seat of a vehicle alongside the driver. Armed guards would \"ride shotgun<\/em>\" with the driver back in the day to protect them from hijackers.<\/strong><\/p>\n

However, the use of the phrase got out into the public domain through movies and music and absorbed into mainstream culture. Today, many people will cry out \"shotgun<\/em>\" when trying to reserve the front seat in their friend's car.<\/p>\n

Example Usage<\/h2>\n

\"I remember that time I was riding shotgun with Mick driving. The guy was so drunk he took us off the road, and we almost died in that accident.\"<\/p>\n

\"we're taking that trip to Florida tomorrow, and I'm riding shotgun; I don't care what any of your guys say.\"<\/p>\n

\"Joey's going to drive us to Oregon, and I'm going to be riding shotgun the whole way; you guys get the backseat.\"<\/p>\n

\"I saw that girl riding shotgun with that criminal in his SUV. It's obvious they're in on the scam together.\"<\/p>\n

\"If you don't calm down, I'm revoking your privileges for riding shotgun and relegating you to the backseat.\"<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

Origin<\/h2>\n

The saying \"riding shotgun<\/em>\" originates from the US stagecoaches appearing in Hollywood film productions about the \"Wild West<\/em>.\" The classic film \"Stagecoach<\/em>,\" premiering in 1939, starring George Bancroft as Marshal Curly Wilcox, gets the credit for coining the expression.<\/p>\n

In the film, Wilcox rides \"shotgun<\/em>\" next to the stagecoach driver to prevent bandits and Apache from commandeering the stagecoach and looting it. Wilcox uses the expression in the film as the following.<\/p>\n

\"You boys take care of the office for a couple of days. I'm going to Lordsburg with Buck. I'm gonna ride shotgun<\/em>.\"<\/p>\n

The earliest use of \"riding shotgun<\/em>\" in print comes from the Utah newspaper \"The Ogden Examiner<\/em>\" in May 1919. The newspaper published an article titled, \"Ross Will Again Ride Shotgun on Old Stage Coach<\/em>.\" The expression appears in the article as follows.<\/p>\n

\"Alex Toponce was in the early days the owner of a stage line. He will probably drive the old fashioned vehicle, while A. Y. Ross, famous in railroad circles as a fearless express messenger and who on several occasions battled with bandits on the plains, will probably ride \"shotgun<\/em>\" as he did in the past.\"<\/p>\n

However, many language experts believe that the expression originates from airline employees and US Marshalls \"riding shotgun<\/em>\" on civilian or military flights.<\/p>\n