Crossword clues for gunsel
gunsel
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
1914, American English, from hobo slang, "a catamite;" specifically "a young male kept as a sexual companion, especially by an older tramp," from Yiddish genzel, from German Gänslein "gosling, young goose." The secondary, non-sexual meaning "young hoodlum" seems to be entirely traceable to Dashiell Hammett, who sneaked it into "The Maltese Falcon" (1929) while warring with his editor over the book's racy language.\n\n"Another thing," Spade repeated, glaring at the boy: "Keep that gunsel away from me while you're making up your mind. I'll kill him."\n\nThe context implies some connection with gun and a sense of "gunman," and evidently the editor bought it. The word was retained in the script of the 1941 movie made from the book, so evidently the Motion Picture Production Code censors didn't know it either.\n\nThe relationship between Kasper Gutman (Sidney Greenstreet) and his young hit-man companion, Wilmer Cook (Elisha Cook, Jr.), is made fairly clear in the movie, but the overt mention of sexual perversion would have been deleted if the censors hadn't made the same mistaken assumption as Hammett's editor.
[Hugh Rawson, "Wicked Words," 1989, p.184]
Wiktionary
Etymology 1 n. 1 A young man kept for homosexual purposes; a catamite. 2 (context street and prison slang English) A passive partner in anal intercourse. Etymology 2
n. A gun-carrying hoodlum or other criminal.
Wikipedia
Gunsel may refer to:
- Suat Günsel (born 1952), billionaire Turkish Cypriot entrepreneur, businessman and founder of the Near East University
- Austin Gunsel (1909-1974), interim commissioner of the National Football League
Usage examples of "gunsel".
He hefted it and sighted along the barrel as Gunsel had told him how to aim it.
Art Gunsel and Spencer Herbloc would each receive five percent of the profits.
One of the five Cheereek warriors Graakaak had picked to be trainers for the rest of his tribe, squatting before Gunsel, apparently had asked a question.
In front of his warriors, the great chief himself could never stoop to take lessons from anyone, much less humans, so Gunsel went one-on-one.
The day before, training Graakaak, Gunsel had not gone into the nomenclature, assuming that all the chief needed to know was how to load, aim, and fire the weapon.
Herbloc for it, but after a time Gunsel began to enjoy sparring with the scientist.
And it did not take Herbloc long to discover that Gunsel was quick on the verbal draw.
With the possible exception of Jum Bolion, nobody else in the crew could stand Herbloc, but he and Herbloc had spent so much time together on Avionia that Gunsel had gotten used to him.
Firmly gripping Herbloc by the arm, Gunsel walked him swiftly away from the bar.
Bolion and Gunsel hardly noticed that Herbloc chuckled to himself almost all the way back.
They looked similar to the rifles Gunsel had made for the Cheereek, but they were modified for easy handling by human beings.
Carefully, Gunsel poured each of them a generous dollop of the precious liquid.
Maxfield Parrish, set it on fire, and lit the cigar the gunsel had been chewing.
Then he opened the Parrish and held it out, and the gunsel dropped his soggy cigar inside it.
The gunsel skipped by Burford with an amazing grace and grabbed hold of my arm before I could grab it away.