to give it the gun
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
In R.A.F. parlance during World War II, to open the throttle of an aeroplane suddenly and hard.
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 “to give it the gun” mean?
In R.A.F. parlance during World War II, to open the throttle of an aeroplane suddenly and hard.
Is “to give it the gun” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.