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Glite Dictionary
to run and gun

to run and gun

1 7.3
To move quickly and attack often in sports or games
  • idiom
  • Jargon
translation icon : actuar rápidamente
  • While everybody's running and gunning, now is the perfect time to use that tunnel.
  • run and gun team

I fax, they write, they're out there, they run and gun until whatever.

Examples

  • I think that the rise of CrossFit and MMA training has got everyone thinking that the best way to train is to keep "running and gunning" through the workout.

    Blog text (26)

  • It's time to run and gun.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • But about a hundred years ago, when I could run and gun, yeah, I was a Sooner then.

    The Longest Yard (2005)

  • You want to run and gun, stay in Patrol.

    Training Day (2001)

  • The HEAT won in a run-and-gun system through the playoffs.

    Blog text (28)

  • With run-and-gun offense teams, there is nothing but transition and fast gameplay; it would make more sense than overstepping boundaries to regulate every time you lace a string into your crosse.

    Blog text (17)

  • But I worry that they’re not getting the clean, wide-open looks we’re used to seeing run-and-gun small-ball W’s teams getting.

    Blog text (17)

  • The basketball team decided to adopt a run and gun strategy to increase their scoring this season.

  • In the championship game, their run and gun tactics caught the opponents by surprise and led to a quick victory.

  • To win quickly, they focused on a run and gun approach, always moving forward and attacking the other team.

Synonyms

to rush
vsto run and gun
548 1.0

To move or act quickly because a situation needs it

is a sports style of quick attacking continuous movement

Antonyms

defensive
346 3.8

Made to protect against attack or harm

How Aggressive

to play hardball
  • Informal
26 7.0
to run and gun
  • Jargon
1 7.3

Surface Forms

run and gun infinitive
running and gunning present participle
runs and guns third person singular
ran and gunned past
ran and gunned past participle

Morphology

run + and + gun

The components 'run' and 'gun' give a clear clue—fast movement plus aggressive action—so a learner can infer something like rushing and attacking; however 'gun' is not literally 'to shoot' in the basic noun sense and the specific sports-style meaning (a fast-paced offensive strategy) is a pragmatic, metaphorical extension that B1 learners may not predict. Because the connection is partly inferable but requires domain knowledge and a metaphorical shift, the expression is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Run and gun is a verb that may come from fast sports and video games. Imagine a player who runs down the court and then fires a gun, or a video game player who moves while shooting. That quick, attacking image is why it means 'to act quickly and aggressively'.