Words Matter

Rather than normalize the presence of guns everywhere, substitute different words and phrases to convey the same message. It’s actually a fun challenge. Start by reviewing the Words Matter Thesaurus and then add your own suggestions. PDF

Here are some suggestions:

Gun Term	Alternative
A
ammunition	facts, evidence
armed with the facts	well-informed
aim for	hope to achieve, strive
ask point blank	ask directly
B
bite the bullet	just do it
bullet-points	specifics, key points
bullet-proof	invincible
bull’s eye	exact spot
C
caught in the crossfire	caught in the middle
cheap shot	unfair criticism, low blow
D
dodged a bullet	avoided trouble
don’t shoot the messenger	not responsible
E
even shot	50/50 chance
F
faster than a speeding bullet	high speed
‘Fire Away!’	‘Get Started!’
firing blanks	ineffective, not succeeding
fire back	responding quickly
G
get shot	get vaccinated
going great guns	exceeding expectations
gun it	speed up
gun shy	reticent, hesitant
gunning for someone	planning to harm
H
half-cocked	reckless
high caliber	exceptional, first-rate
hired gun	paid specialist
held a gun to my head	threatened
hot shot	show-off, braggart
I
in the crosshairs	scrutinized
J
jumped the gun	started too early
‘Just shoot me!’	‘I give up!’
K
kill joy	spoil sport, cynic
killer instinct	ruthless, relentless
L
like shooting fish in a barrel	too easy
lock, stock and barrel	all inclusive, entirely
locked-and-loaded	ready, prepared
M
magic bullet	perfect solution
misfired	erred
missed the mark	imperfect, fell short
moving target	hard to pin down
O
outgunned	outmatched
on target	accurate, so far/so good
P
point blank	direct, precise
point & shoot	simple
pot shots	jabs
pull the trigger	get going, start
Q
quick on the trigger	rash, hasty
R
rapid fire	quickly, speedy
‘Ready, aim, fire!’	‘Go!’
riding shot gun	protecting a companion
rifle through files	search
S
‘She/he is a pistol!’	‘She/he has spunk!’
shoot first, ask later	impetuous
shoot for	try, attempt
shoot for the moon	set high goals
shoot from the hip	impulsive
shoot me an email	send me an email
shoot off your mouth	talk recklessly
shoot out	confrontation
shoot the breeze	chat, visit
shot down my idea	rejected
shot in the dark	wild guess
shot myself in the foot	made a mistake
silver bullet	perfect solution
smoking gun	proof beyond doubt
‘Son of a gun!’	‘Darn!’
stick to my guns	uncompromising
straight shooter	frank & honest
sweating bullets	nervous, worried
T
take aim	focus
take a shot at	speculate, try
target market	intended audience
top gun	recognized expert
trigger a response	cause a reaction
trigger alerts	heads up, warnings
trigger happy	impulsive, foolhardy
trip your trigger	make you happy
U
under fire	being criticized
under the gun	feeling pressure
V
W
whole shooting match	in total, the works
with guns blazing	all-out effort
worth a shot	worth trying
X
Y
‘You’re killing me!’	‘You’re too much!’
Z