Posted: 12/2/2008 6:46:48 PM EDT
| Most of us know that the term "Saturday night special" has its origins in a speech that a liberal congresscritter gave opposing cheap guns in which he referred to them as something you pick up in N town on a Saturday night. I'm looking for an academically credible source to cite in a paper that mentions the fact. Any ideas? |
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yep my google worked, did yours
Origin of the term
The earliest known use of the term "Saturday night special" in print is in the Aug 17, 1968 issue of the New York Times. In a front-page article titled Handgun Imports Held Up by U.S, author Fred Graham wrote, "... cheap, small-caliber 'Saturday night specials' that are a favorite of holdup men..." Among some law enforcement officers, the term has also applied to home made or improvised weapons, such as "zip guns." The idea behind the slang being that such a weapon made during the week would be used in a crime over the weekend; Saturday night being the peak night for said crimes. M.A. (Merle Avery) Gill's Underworld Slang, a dictionary published in 1929, includes an entry called "Saturday night pistol" with this simple definition: ".25 automatic." The Oxford English Dictionary notes that the adjective "Saturday night" has been in use since 1847 to refer to activities taking place on or as on a Saturday night, especially in the form of revelry. |
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NRA has a fact sheet about Saturday Night Specials with sources.
Saturday Night Specials |