a gone coon
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A person in a terrible fix; one on the verge of ruin. The coon being hunted for its fur is a "gone coon" when it is treed and so has no escape from its pursuers.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “a gone coon” mean?
A person in a terrible fix; one on the verge of ruin. The coon being hunted for its fur is a "gone coon" when it is treed and so has no escape from its pursuers.
Is “a gone coon” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.