I'll be a son of a gun

interjection

Expressing surprise or disbelief.

Similar
adzooksaycarambamirabile dictuchihuahuabegorrableeding heckbleeding Nora
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Meanings

interjection
  1. euphemisticExpressing surprise or disbelief.

    Digging her hands excitedly down into the pockets of her dress Ardita stared at him, speechless with astonishment. […] “Well, I’ll be a son of a gun!” she said dazedly.

    1920, F. Scott Fitzgerald, “The Offshore Pirate”, in Flappers and Philosophers, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, page 11

    Synonyms: adzooks, ay, caramba, mirabile dictu, chihuahua, begorra, bleeding heck, bleeding Nora

Synonyms & antonyms

interjectionExpressing surprise or disbelief.

Similar
adzooksaycarambamirabile dictuchihuahuabegorrableeding heckbleeding Norabless my heartbless my soulbless usbligeblimeybloody hellbloody Norablow meblow me backwardsblow me downblow me overblow me pink
Also see
wow

Origin

Compare son of a gun.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

I'll be a son of a gun. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/I'll%20be%20a%20son%20of%20a%20gun

MLA

“I'll be a son of a gun.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/I'll%20be%20a%20son%20of%20a%20gun. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “I'll be a son of a gun,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/I'll%20be%20a%20son%20of%20a%20gun.

Source: I'll be a son of a gun on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.