Shot his wad

Posted by ESC on February 03, 2001

In Reply to: Shot his wad posted by R. Berg on February 03, 2001

: : : : : need to know origin of this expression. Think it might be from the civil war period. Thanks.

: : : : : im going out on a limb here, but I think it refers to muzzle loading rifles and how in the heat of battle as one is reloading, it was common to forget to drop a ball down the barrel before packing the wadding in. hence a wasted shot.

: : : Here are some more possibilities. The Dictionary of American Slang gives two definitions for "wad": first, "a roll or wad of paper money . . . esp. a lot of it or all that one has," with citations of this use from 1814 through recent times; second, "the mouth. Some use c1885-c1920; obs." No entry for "shoot one's wad" as a phrase.

: : Well, boys and girls. I don't want to rock you back on your heels, it may originally have mean guns and money but now "shooting your wad" refers to the male climax. And it's not a good idea to say it in Sunday School. I prefer "fire all your guns at once."

: Golly gee whiz, Auntie ESC, what's a climax?

A peak experience.