Saturday-night special

noun

An inexpensive, easily obtained handgun.

Similar
junk gunsuicide specialSaturday-night pistol
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Meanings

nounSaturday-night special (plural Saturday-night specials)

plural Saturday-night specials · alternative Saturday night special

  1. USAn inexpensive, easily obtained handgun.

    Synonyms: junk gun, suicide special, Saturday-night pistol

  2. UShistoricalAn overnight weekend train.
  3. USobsoleteA seasonal (usually October to December) sale on Saturday evening.
  4. USobsoleteslangA girl who can be dated easily on Saturday evenings.
  5. datedbusinessAn unexpected takeover bid that gives its opponents little time to respond.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounAn inexpensive, easily obtained handgun.

Similar
junk gunsuicide specialSaturday-night pistol
Also see
junk gunsaturday-night pistolsuicide special

Origin

Attested from 1917, akin to Saturday-night pistol attested from 1915. Not entirely clear, but perhaps from phrases like “Saturday night pistol slaying” and “Saturday night pistol scrape” often found in early 20th century local crime reporting due to the fact that Saturday evening had been the peak time for homicides and similar crimes. Also likely to be enforced by the obsolete meaning of a cheap sale and usage of "Special" in the context of more powerful firearms like Colt Police Positive Special.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Saturday-night special. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Saturday-night%20special

MLA

“Saturday-night special.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Saturday-night%20special. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Saturday-night special,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Saturday-night%20special.

Source: Saturday-night special on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.