Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (UK/US Und.) to stare at, to look over, to examine; to look out for; thus on the gun, on the lookout.

1812		Vaux Vocab. of the Flash Lang. in McLachlan (1964) 245: To gun any thing, is to look at or examine it.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: To gun, among flash people, is to be noticed. Do not you see we are gunned? an expression used by thieves when they think they are being watched.
1824		Annals of Sporting 1 Feb. 90: I see, Master Neville, you are gunning my new turn out.
1859		Matsell Vocabulum 39: ‘The copper gunned me as if he was fly to my mug,’ the officer looked at me as if he knew my face.
1865		Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 29/2: Fobbs’s ‘pal’ was dowdling around ‘gunning’ for a ‘flat’.
1881		Trumble Sl. Dict. (1890).
1904		Number 1500 Life In Sing Sing 249: Gunning. On the look-out.
1914		Jackson & Hellyer Vocab. Criminal Sl. 40: gun [...] To watch; to scrutinize.
1933		Ersine Und. and Prison Sl. 42: gun, n. 1. The state of being on guard. ‘Get on the gun’.
1936		‘Fats’ Waller ‘Your Feets Too Big’ 🎵 I hate you ’cause your feet’s too big / My Goodness! Gun the gunboats! / Ship, ship, ship!
1944		D. Burley Orig. Hbk of Harlem Jive 13: I’m gunning this fine banana.
1950		Goldin et al. DAUL 88/2: Gun, v. 1. To be on the alert. 2. To look over carefully; to scrutinize.
1967		M. Braly On the Yard (2002) 247: ‘Why are you gunning me?’ Chilly asked.
1990		S. Morgan Homeboy 13: The restless eye gunning the street. [Ibid.] 174: Joe puffed his cheeks and gunned the cop a chary sidelong.

2. to stare with sexual interest/intent.

1939		P. Grey ‘Twixt Night ’n’ Dawn’ in Afro-American (Baltimore, MD) 7 Jan. 9/4: Gordon promised to refrain from gunning so many chicks.
1951		Kerouac On the Road (The Orig. Scroll) (2007) 140: His speciality was [...] gunning for girls coming out of high school [and] screwing them.
1957		Kerouac On The Road (1972) 150: I gunned shopping women in the afternoon, right here, downtown, supermarkets.

3. (orig. US black) to stare aggressively or pointedly.

1946		Mezzrow & Wolfe Really the Blues 18: All the other customers kept gunning us with their eyes.
1978		R. Caron Go-Boy! 38: He also had five goons flanking him and gunning me off from under their peak hats.

4. (UK teen) to insult.

2002		Teen Lingo: The Source for Youth Ministry 🌐 gunnin’ [...] When you’re gunnin’, you are making fun of someone or something.
2003		BlazinParadise ‘Blazing Squad Language’ 🌐 Gunned – Insulting or cussed.