The expression "riding shotgun" is derived from "shotgun messenger", a colloquial term for "express...
Riding shotgun
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Riding shotgun. The driver is holding the whip with the shotgun messenger on his left.
Riding shotgun refers to the practice of sitting alongside the
driver in a moving
vehicle. The phrase has been used to mean giving actual or figurative support or aid to someone in a situation or project.
[1]
Etymology
The expression "riding shotgun" is derived from "
shotgun messenger", a colloquial term for "express messenger", in the days of
stagecoach
travel the person in the position next to the driver. However,
apparently the phrase "riding shotgun" was not coined until 1919.
[2] 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),
[citation needed]
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.
[3]
Modern usage
More recently, the term has been applied to a
game,
usually played by groups of friends to determine who rides beside the
driver in a car. Typically, this involves claiming the right to ride
shotgun by being the first person to call out "shotgun". While there are
many other rules for the game, such as a requirement that the vehicle
be in sight, nearly all players agree that the game may only begin on
the way to the car.
[4][5]
In addition, a number of humorous rules for calling shotgun has been
developed by organizations and individuals (for example, the "survival
of the fittest rule").
[6]
See also
References
Riding shotgun refers to the practice of sitting alongside the driver in a moving vehicle. The phrase has been used to mean giving actual or figurative support or aid to someone in a situation or project.[1]Riding shotgun. The driver is holding the whip with the shotgun messenger on his left.
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