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hired gun

 - 3 dictionary results
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hired gun

 
Use hired gun in a Sentence
–noun Informal.
1. a person hired to kill someone, as a gunfighter or professional killer.
2. a person hired to bear arms and fight for another, as a bodyguard or mercenary.
3. a person, as a politician or lobbyist, skilled at attaining power for others.
4. a person hired to resolve difficult problems or disputes or to handle complex legal or business problems.
Origin:
1965–70
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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hired gun   (hīrd)
n.   Slang

  1. One, especially a professional killer, who is hired to kill another person.

  2. One hired to fight for or protect another.

  3. One who is proficient at obtaining power for others.

  4. One with special knowledge or expertise, as in business, law, or government, who is hired to resolve particularly difficult or complex problems.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Idioms & Phrases

hired gun

  1. A person, especially a professional killer, employed to kill-someone, as in They thought the murder had been done by a hired gun. The noun gun has been slang for a professional criminal since the mid-1800s.

  2. A person with special knowledge or expertise who is employed to resolve a complex problem. For example, The legal team was looking for a hired gun to handle the antitrust angle of the case. [Slang; 1960s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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