# Calling "Shotgun" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 9, 2006, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-shotgun/356135 "2006-05-09T22:40:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mbossa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@Mbossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mbossa)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-shotgun/356135/21 "2006-05-10T06:17:09Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > The most humiliating position, of course, was the center of the back seat in a two-door: squished between other people, no window to look out, and the drive train “hump” shoving one’s knees up under one’s chin. You obviously didn’t ride with me and my friends back in my student days (well, obviously you didn’t because you’ve never met me or my friends, but you know…). The most humiliating position then was either lying across the knees of the back seat passangers, or inside the boot (that’s ‘trunk’ to you Merkins). Yeah, we were a safety-conscious bunch. ---
**Author:** ![dmatsch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3be4f8/32.png) [@dmatsch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dmatsch)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-shotgun/356135/22 "2006-05-10T07:20:53Z")
> [@treis](#): > > Nowadays the back middle seat (there is rarely a front middle seat) is known as “bitch”. Been there. It sucks. ---
**Author:** ![dmatsch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3be4f8/32.png) [@dmatsch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dmatsch)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-shotgun/356135/23 "2006-05-10T07:22:13Z")
> [@Mbossa](#): > > You obviously didn’t ride with me and my friends back in my student days (well, obviously you didn’t because you’ve never met me or my friends, but you know…). The most humiliating position then was either lying across the knees of the back seat passangers, or inside the boot (that’s ‘trunk’ to you Merkins). > > Yeah, we were a safety-conscious bunch. Been there. It sucks. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-shotgun/356135/24 "2006-05-10T11:39:44Z")
There’s also a staff report on the term [What’s the origin of “riding shotgun”?](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mrideshotgun.html) ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-shotgun/356135/25 "2006-05-10T11:53:17Z")
> [@LunaV](#): > > Shotgun controls the radio in my circle. 😃 No way. The driver _always_ controls the radio. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-shotgun/356135/26 "2006-05-10T11:56:03Z")
If we only have 3 people going to lunch, say, whoever has shotgun sits in the back automatically coming back. If there are 4 people, however, the original shotgun may call shotgun when leaving the restaurant. For laughs: whenever someone calls shotgun, I quickly say, “shotgun’s lap”. I think this is real funny. Every single time. Can’t remember where I first heard it. ---
**Author:** ![T\_SQUARE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de053/32.png) [@T\_SQUARE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/T_SQUARE)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-shotgun/356135/27 "2006-05-10T14:12:40Z")
> [@appleciders](#): > > I give you the definitive guide to testosterone-induced variations on the “shotgun” rule: [http://shotgunguide.com/](http://shotgunguide.com/) OK, I can’t let this stand. The rules, as linked to, are ridiculous. I’m talking about section 1, point 4, of course. One can call shotgun as soon as HE OR SHE leaves indoors. If the rules were to be followed as stated, there would be an advantage to being the last one out, so you could theoretically call shotgun at the moment you breached the threshold to the out of doors. Naturally, there will already be a group outside waiting on the last person to breach said threshold, resulting in all the car’s occupants, sans driver, to call shotgun at THE SAME TIME. This is utter chaos, and has no place in modern society. Furthermore, my method provides an incentive to get off your ass and start heading for the car instead of a disincentive to do so. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-shotgun/356135/28 "2006-05-10T21:30:40Z")
I have no particular desire to ride shotgun. I am a fairly nervous passenger, prone to stomping on the phantom brake pedal and placing my hands on the dash, when I sit in the shotgun seat. Not only do I not call it, I decline when it is offered, and choose to sit in back. Am I alone? (Obviously, if it’s just the driver and me, I sit up front, and grit my teeth.) Also, apropos of nothing: > [@Anaamika](#): > > this isn’t necessarily a PC term - it’s also useful to determine quickly which kind of Indian you are talking about That’s why he shoulda said “Injun.” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-shotgun/356135/29 "2006-05-10T21:54:10Z")
> [@Gary T](#): > > I think you’ve got a false assumption here. There wasn’t necessarily anything desirable about carrying a shotgun on a stagecoach. What is desirable is riding in the front seat of an automobile. Modern “Shotgun” is merely a reference to the **riding position,** not to the duties, of that fellow on the stagecoach. And “shotgun”, meaning “to travel in a vehicle as an armed guard”, only dates to the 1950s. [cite](http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=19981102) ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-shotgun/356135/30 "2006-05-10T21:57:32Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > There’s also a staff report on the term [What’s the origin of “riding shotgun”?](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mrideshotgun.html) Hmm…maybe Random House should hire you guys. ---
**Author:** ![Lionne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Lionne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lionne)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-shotgun/356135/31 "2006-05-10T22:16:17Z")
> [@BiblioCat](#): > > No way. The driver _always_ controls the radio. _leans over, fiddles with the bass, switches the song to a good Hi-nrg tune, leans back, sticks out tongue at **BiblioCat** _ ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-shotgun/356135/32 "2006-05-11T00:22:44Z")
> [@LunaV](#): > > Shotgun controls the radio in my circle. 😃 There is an aviation variant of this where the shotgun rider works the radio stack as well as navigation duties. Also responsible for yelling “were gonna die” when the wrong fuel tank is selected. If you’re going on a long trip you can cheat your way past shotgun by bringing a GPS along. Navigation is looked highly upon by most drivers. It does, however, make you liable for a beer round if you miss an exit. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-shotgun/356135/33 "2006-05-11T21:01:41Z")
> [@LunaV](#): > > _leans over, fiddles with the bass, switches the song to a good Hi-nrg tune, leans back, sticks out tongue at **BiblioCat** _ _::: smacks **LunaV’s** hand, switches back to classic rock, resets bass :::_ ---
**Author:** ![Waverly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/57b2e6/32.png) [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-shotgun/356135/34 "2006-05-11T21:29:00Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > Back in the days of bench seat sedans and coupes, “radio” was second choice after “shotgun.” What you refer to as ‘radio’ would have been called ‘bitch’ in my neighborhood. A coveted position for female passengers under any circumstances, but highly ignoble for male passengers unless both the driver and shotgun were female. I don’t know that we had a term for males sitting three abreast in the front of a car with an empty back, but I guarantee there would have been a half hour or more of very un-PC razzing of the trio. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-shotgun/356135/35 "2006-05-11T22:01:01Z")
Just for laughs: [Straight Dope Staff Report: What’s the origin of “riding shotgun”?](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mrideshotgun.html) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-shotgun/356135.md?page=1)