What it means
You yell shotgun to bag the front passenger seat before anyone else gets there first. By extension, it also works for calling first dibs on stuff like the last slice, the best chair, or whatever prize is about to spark a tiny friendship war. If you called it first and everyone heard, that's the playground law doing its thing.
Usage examples
"Shotgun! I called it before we even reached the car, so you lot can fight over the back seats while I crank the aircon."
"My little brother shotguns the front seat every single morning, then complains the moment I touch the radio."
"Shotgun on the way back, I sat in the middle last time and my knees are still writing complaint letters."
"He yelled shotgun before Dad had even unlocked the car, the little seat-thief gremlin."
"Oi, shotgun for the front on the way to the chippy. I'm not getting folded into the back again."
Where it comes from
It comes from the US phrase ride shotgun. Back in the Old West, the person sitting next to the stagecoach driver often carried a shotgun to guard the coach from robbers. That side seat picked up the name, and later shotgun became the quick shout for claiming the front passenger spot.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
Your vote counts
Is this real street talk or have we lost the plot? Cast your vote.
We look after this expression together
If they say it where you live and something is missing here, bring it. A magikito looks at it and adds it.
- An example
- Your patch
- Your voice