English

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Etymology

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From gun +‎ poke, after cowpoke.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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gunpoke (plural gunpokes)

  1. (slang) Someone who carries a gun; an armed man.
    • 1939, Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep, Penguin, published 2011, page 164:
      ‘He lets you win a lot of money and sends a gunpoke around to take it back for him.’