gun-shy
adjective /ˈɡʌn ʃaɪ/
/ˈɡʌn ʃaɪ/
- gun-shy (about something/about doing something) (especially North American English) very careful or anxious about doing something, because of a previous bad experience
- Since last summer, Horace has been gun-shy about swimming in the lake.
- (especially of a dog) nervous and scared at the sound of a gunshot