Dictionary definition of “shoot a fair one”

shoot a fair one

v. phr. to have a weaponless physical fight between two people. Subjects: English, Slang

Editorial Note: Fair one, meaning ‘a fight,’ dates to at least as early as 1958.

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Citations: [1994 Gang Starr Hard To Earn (Mar. 8) “Suckas Need Bodyguards”: At Madison Square I shot a fair one/so many niggaz knew me that the kid wouldn’t dare run.] 1998 Juan Azize (Aug. 20) @ Things Get Hectic Geoffrey Canada p. 23: There was this time, last year, when my boy Duzer was supposed to shoot a fair one with another kid in school, so my little crew got together to keep it a fair fight.…I saw kids pullling shanks and hammers out of their JanSports. I knew this wasn’t going to be no fair fight, fake gangstas put that out of style trying to find the easy way out. 1999 [GoldenChild] Usenet: rec.music.hip-hop (June 22) “Bitch Moves…”: Niggas that NEVER wanna shoot the fair one. Always got an excuse though, “Nah, I dont do that one on one shit no more, I dont got time.” Whats so scary about a head-up fight? It SAVES time “cause you dead the beef right there. 2000 [GoldenChild] Usenet: rec.music.hip-hop (Dec. 28) “Re: what ever happened to gangs?”: I always preferred to shoot the fair one “cause I knew I’d win, but I didn’t blame any kid that couldn’t fight and said “Fuck that, I’m just gonna shoot your ass,” ‘cause if I was a dude that couldn’t fight I probably would be like that too. 2004 Caroline McGill A Dollar Outta Fifteen Cent (Nov. 14) p. 252: In the ninth grade, when those three bitches from Red Hook jumped Portia over Wayne-o, Simone stole her mother’s boyfriend’s gun, and their crew went up in Gowanus Projects to retaliate. Portia set it off on Michelle, the one who was fucking Wayne, and Simone backed her friends down with the gun so they could shoot a fair one. Portia represented for N.I.B. and beat Michelle’s ass, and Simone busted shots up in the air and ran them away. 2005 Andrew Wolfe Nashua Telegraph (N.H.) (Apr. 19) “Man charged in murder”: The woman said Davis offered to fight Pineda man to man, using a slang term “shoot the fair,” after their first scuffle, but Pineda declined.

Posted 19 Apr 05 | Permalink | Tell a Friend