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Hi Elle, Can't find 'going great guns' in my brewer's, but found it in my copy of 'Idioms and their origin'. Like you I only knew of it as meaning 'achieve with great success, going at speed etc..


By the way Rusty, I think that the spelling is 'by' - sure someone will correct me if I am wrong.

Quite chilly right now

This page might help with resolving the origin of "Going Great Guns". (You need to scroll down to "Go".)

http://users.tinyonline.co.uk/gswithenbank/sayingsg.htm

Thanks Seamus, it concurs with what 'Idioms and their origin' explained.

Hi. Pigale!
Try looking in Brewers under "Great guns".
It says that the meaning you have so far unearthed is now obsolete , but the original expression associated with horse -racing is still in use.

Hello, Elle!
Supermarkets sell stamps, too, or newsagents.
So, that's "great guns" sorted!
I had a look at Brewer's, and that was a very good link that Seamus put up. Thank you!
I just come across these things and start to wonder.
I do not ever remember seeing a sentence with "kempt" in it.
Though it is in Chambers. Plenty of unkempt though.
I am not going to explore "willy-nilly" in case it is something rude!
The weather here is getting wilder by the minute!

Elle, just tried under 'great guns' and found nothing, but I finally found the expression under 'gun', meaning simply doing something with vigour and efficiency.

We went through this before, comparing our various editions of the Brewers -

According to 'Idioms and their origin' it dates back from early 19th Century, when it referred to cannons as opposed to smaller portable arms; it then evolved into meaning a imposing /distinguish person (as opposed to lower classes I suppose), and then extended to a violent gales , as in 'it blows great guns' (canons roar, so do storms/gales. But in early 20th Century it only alluded to repeated firing of mighty cannon in battle.

No mention of horses at all.
Amazing how different two books of reference can be !

Here's something to think about:

If DEMOLISH means to UN-BUILD, then surely MOLISH must mean BUILD! Unfortunately Chambers doesn't agree with me!

Yea but again my chambers does not give UN-BUILD as the meaning of demolish, but rather 'lay in ruins', 'destroy', 'pull something down'.

I am not sure that demolish means unbuild carefully, stone by stone - what do you think?

Yes, I think you're right. Demolishing something is much more severe than merely taking it apart. So, "Molishing" might be throwing something together, like making a cake perhaps.

Indeed, 'I've molished up something for supper - hope it'll be OK'....

In which case, I have often done so !