Gunchester

English

Etymology

Blend of gun +‎ Manchester.

Proper noun

Gunchester

1. (UK, informal, derogatory) The English city of Manchester, particularly Moss Side, referring to the city's historical high gun crime rate.
   • 1993 November 15, Shawn Pogatchnik, “‘Gunchester’: A Dead Son and Shooting in the Street With AM-Guns Invade Britain, Bjt”, in Associated Press‎^[1]:

     ″You hear people firing off guns all the time,″ she said. ″That’s why they call it Gunchester. I just thought some poor bugger’s got it again, and went on sudsing my hair.″

   • 2011 April 11, Helen Carter, “Farewell to Gunchester”, in The Guardian‎^[2]:

     The chief constable of Greater Manchester Police has said that the city has finally shrugged off its notorious Gunchester image thanks to their intensive efforts to combat gangs.

   • 2018 August 13, Imran Rahman-Jones, “Moss Side: A history of the Manchester neighbourhood”, in BBC‎^[3]:

     Throughout the 1970s and 80s, gang violence increased, which earned the area [Moss Side] the nickname of "gunchester".

   • 2021 March 21, Emily Retter, “Inside 'Gunchester': The brutal blowtorch-armed gangs running riot in Manchester”, in Daily Star‎^[4]:

     Manchester earned its name Gunchester in the 1980s and 1990s but violence came to a head when Benji Stanley, 14, was shot dead at a takeaway.

See also

• Shottingham