I know what it means but I don't know where it comes from.
2007-02-24 10:10:53 · 12 answers · asked by ReelTru 4 in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
The wild west! The coach guard rode up next to the stage driver with a scatter gun to protect against highwaymen.
2007-02-24 10:13:49 · answer #1 · answered by Curious1usa 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The first known reference to "riding shotgun" in print occurred on 27 March 1921, when it was used to refer to riding as an armed guard in the front of a stagecoach.
2007-02-24 18:16:44 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
I believe it originated in the days of stagecoach travel. There was a driver, of course, but there was also often another man who rode beside him whose job was to watch out for robbers and hostile Indians. He carried a shotgun--hence the term "riding shotgun".
2007-02-24 18:14:45 · answer #3 · answered by KCBA 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I believe that is a suthern term where one guy drives and the other has his shotgun out the window during (deer) hunting season. This is not legal but also so is drinking illegal but it is done locally often enough it was made illegal while hunting because it tends to be dangerous to those who get in the way of the deer being shot by such hunters.
I was a friend of shotgun hunters and drinkers who love to tell the moronic stories of what they do out hunting.
I have never heard it applied to a car until I moved down south. We called the front seats the driver's seat and front seat(passenger's front seat) up north.
2007-02-24 18:14:50 · answer #4 · answered by Faerieeeiren 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Stagecoachs, had a driver and a man riding along side him with a shotgun.
2007-02-24 18:14:32 · answer #5 · answered by puppets48744 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It comes from the practice on stage coaches where a man carrying a shotgun was sitting next to the driver to protect passengers and cargo.
2007-02-24 18:13:07 · answer #6 · answered by bigjohn B 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋
It comes from the Stagecoaches. There would be one person holding the reins and the other would have a shotgun.
2007-02-24 18:15:11 · answer #7 · answered by Hamish 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
in old western times the person in the passenger seat would have the shotgun and be shooting so it was called riding shotgun
2007-02-24 18:18:02 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Probably from the days of stagecoach delivery. It's very difficult to reign the horses and be vigilent against attack at the same time so they had an armed passenger keeping watch.
2007-02-24 18:14:57 · answer #9 · answered by ©2009 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
from the old west when there was 2 people riding in front of the stage coach. the driver and the other one holding a shot gun.
2007-02-24 18:14:45 · answer #10 · answered by george 2 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋