1660, earlier tricker (1621), from Du. trekker "trigger," from trekken "to pull" (see trek). Tricker was the usual form in Eng. until c.1750. The verb is first recorded 1930, from the noun. Trigger-happy is attested from 1943.
n. a hired gunman. (Underworld.) : Get your triggers outa here—then we can talk.
tv. to start something; to set something off. : The noise triggered an avalanche.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition. Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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