roscoe

Definition

A handgun, particularly a revolver.

Etymology

Unknown, apparently from the surname Roscoe; sometimes attested as John Roscoe. Attested from the 1910s.

Example Sentences

• "Why, it was nothing to travel about the country with fifty grand worth of ice on me. Suppose I hadn’t packed a roscoe—hell, I’d of been hoisted once a week!"
• "Vincenzo Ricci: Just his normal detail, a few guys with roscoes. None of the other fellas are gonna do dick to protect that piece of shit."
• "Before Hicks knows it they're out in the far northwest somewhere […], apt around any corner to find yourself up the wrong end of a roscoe from somebody you knew in sixth grade."