scattergun

plural scatterguns · alternative scatter gun · alternative scatter-gun

1. informalengineeringSynonym of shotgun.

   But in all-around use, the scattergun now ranks first across fields and forests, trap and skeet ranges.

   1973 September, Gary Gillespie, “How to select a modern scattergun”, in Popular Mechanics, →ISSN, page 134

   2 more examples

   Groundhitching the horse, he left the Winchester in the saddle boot and reached under his duster to unsling the scattergun.

   1999 December 1, Jason Manning, Gun Justice: The Unforgettable Story of Texas John Slaughter, One of the Greatest Gunfighters of the Old West, Macmillan

   You ever have a staring contest with a fish? No eyelids. Kinda pointless, right? Like you reaching for that scattergun.

   2013 February 21, “Relevance”, in Person of Interest, season 2, episode 16, spoken by Sam Shaw (Sarah Shahi)

   Synonyms: shotgun

comparative more scattergun · superlative most scattergun · alternative scatter gun · alternative scatter-gun

1. Unfocused in approach or topic.

   UKIP's Facebook approach was the most 'scattergun', posting a slew of national messages, presumably in the hope that something might impact locally.

   2016, Darren G. Lilleker, Mark Pack, Political Marketing and the 2015 UK General Election, page 127

   1 more example

   While the use of such language in judicial reasoning is not uncommon amongst the more senior Pakistani courts, the acceptance of all pleaded grounds, no matter how 'scattergun' the approach, certainly is.

   2017, Helen Stalford, Kathryn Hollingsworth, Stephen Gilmore, Rewriting Children's Rights Judgments

   Synonyms: all over the place, scattershot