trigger-happy

See also: trigger happy

English

Alternative forms

• trigger happy, triggerhappy

Etymology

From trigger +‎ -happy.

Adjective

trigger-happy (comparative more trigger-happy, superlative most trigger-happy)

1. Having a tendency or desire to shoot a firearm irresponsibly before adequately identifying the target.

   The bystanders were indiscriminately gunned down by trigger-happy gang members.

   • 1971, “Inner City Blues”, in What's Going On, performed by Marvin Gaye:

     Crime is increasing / Trigger happy policing / Panic is spreading / God knows where we're heading

   • 1980, Jagger–Richards (lyrics and music), “Claudine”, performed by The Rolling Stones:

     Claudine / Don't get trigger happy with me / Don't wave a gun at me

2. (by extension) Inclined to behave recklessly or violently at the slightest provocation.

   Be careful when you work near him; he's trigger-happy with that chain-saw.

   He was so trigger-happy that he wheeled and punched me when I brushed by him in the hall.

   • 2021 December 6, Kenny Coyle, “A new stage of resistance: Burmese communists return to armed struggle”, in Morning Star‎^[1]:

     In a country like Burma, where the trigger-happy ruling elite resorted to arms even against unarmed students on university campuses, we have drawn lessons from history. It has taught us to resort to arms when fighting against fully armed demons.

Translations

having a tendency or desire to shoot a firearm irresponsibly

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 動輒開槍的／动辄开枪的 (dòngzhé kāiqiāng de)

• Danish: skydegal
• Dutch: schietgraag (nl)
• Finnish: liipaisinherkkä
• French: fou de la gâchette (fr) m, folle de la gâchette f, malade de la gâchette (fr) m or f, gâchette facile (fr) f
• German: schießwütig, schießfreudig, mit lockerer Schußwaffe (postpositioned)
• Greek: αψίθυμος (el) m (apsíthymos), φιλοπόλεμος (el) m (filopólemos), πολεμοχαρής (el) m or f (polemocharís)
• Russian: please add this translation if you can
• Spanish: gatillo fácil (es) m
• Swedish: skjutglad (sv)

inclined to behave recklessly

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 好鬥的／好斗的 (hàodòu de), 好鬥的／好斗的, 好战的 (hàozhàn de), 好動武的／好动武的 (hào dòngwǔ de)

• Finnish: väkivaltainen (fi)
• French: impulsif (fr)
• German: impulsiv (de), unüberlegt (de), leicht auf achtzig
• Italian: grilletto facile
• Russian: please add this translation if you can

See also

• slap-happy