to give someone ammo

Wisconsin Fake Electors Settlement Has Just Given Jack Smith More Ammo
Story by James Bickerton

What's the origin of metaphor "to give someone ammo"?

In last decade I often encounter this phrase used as "giving the opponent an argument in debate" while discussing an unfolding drama or conflict.

While I understand the meaning, I wonder how it come to be? Is it just a colloquial metaphor coming from idea that you need "ammo" to shoot or it got a literary source. The problem arose during performing formal translation of text, which should have been proof-readed. Proofreader used local officially approved dictionary which contained only one meaning for "ammo": supplies for firearms or artillery. In result figurative translation was refused as an illegal one. It could be accepted if errata to dictionary would be approved, but it cannot contain slang (don't ask me why).

If only "ammo" used in such meaning, the whole phrase might be slang or argo. If "ammunition" got such meaning, my question is what proof of such could be used, with a source.


Nothing colloquial about "ammunition" being a metaphor for useful arguing or debating points; plenty colloquial about "ammo" though. Plenty colloquial about "legit" too. –

Pardon me if I'm not catching drift of your terrific sarcasm. Yeah, I know that "legit" is informal form of legitimate, it was an intentional use because of slight difference in style. But I'm not a native speaker here and it's first time and only form of "ammo" used such way. Never found "ammunition" used, though. What I'm curious about the history of such use. –

This curiosity is practical because it would give me ammunition to defend presence of that meaning in official dictionary. So far it getting declined as "slang". –

Figurative use of the phrase "give [an opponent] ammunition" goes back more than a century. Here is an example from a Kentucky newspaper published on September 1, 1909: "The insurgents [against Speaker of the House Joseph Cannon] themselves are rather pleased that the speaker treated them in this way [giving them undesirable committee assignments]—it gives them more ammunition for the next battle, and it only strengthens their contention that the greatest of all evils in the present government in the house [of Representatives] is the speaker's power of suppressing men on committees, ... –


Oxford Dictionary of English, Third Edition, page 52:

ammunition (noun) [mass noun] a supply or quantity of bullets and shells. considerations that can be used to support one's case in debate: these figures provide ammunition to the argument for more resources.


1645 quote for figurative use as in OP question in Oxford English Dictionary (First Edition, 1888).

This Spiritual Ammunition [sic] shall sufficiently furnish the soul for her encounter with her last enemy.

I know about images vs. actual text. I provided a photo of the page in Oxford taken with my phone in response to OP's comment "Note , that speaker doesn't trust any online dictionary, official policy is that "wikipedia" and "wiktionary" are sources of false information, only printed sources do. " –

Adding to the existing contributions, to give someone ammo is of course a war metaphor. War metaphors are a common and rich source of imagery.

I can, for example, imagine some politician saying something like:

COVID-19 has now launched its attack on home territory.
The region is under fire from the virus.
Returning to normalcy following lockdown will be an uphill battle.
and so on.

More war metaphors: http://knowgramming.com/war_metaphors.htm


A good collection of analogies, but apparently that exact expression is unrelated to war but rather to a dated meaning of "ammunition" - any kind of spiritual empowerment or motivation. So, "Lord, give me ammunition" isn't a prayer for an extra magazine. –


Ammo= Ammunition.

Ammunition= 1.a supply of bullets, shells, bombs, etc. Ex: an explosion at an ammunition dump.

2.information that can be used in trying to win an argument. Ex: the letter gave her all the ammunitions she needed.

Entries related to ammunition. 1.ammo 2. munition.

Ammunition, often called ammo, comes from the French word la munition.At first it meant all items used for war. This was from the Latin word munire (to provide).

"To give someone ammo" or "to give someone ammunition" means to say to someone something which he can use against you, or to do something.


Ammo is an informal expression. Information expressions are used between friends or people who know each other well, in a relaxed or unofficial context.they are not appropriate for formal situations. –
 
That's actually what I wrote in the question. Question is, what about meaning 2. of ammunition (provided ammo == ammunition). The argument against it that I was given "there no evidence of use of ammunition in that meaning and ammo is slang, so the meaning itself is slang." Note , that speaker doesn't trust any online dictionary, official policy is that "wikipedia" and "wiktionary" are sources of false information, only printed sources do. –
 
This isn't attributed, and gives no information as to where and when the idiomatic usage arose / burgeoned. –