gun-shy

[ guhn-shahy ]

/ ˈgʌnˌʃaɪ /

frightened by the sound of a gunshot: a gun-shy bird dog.

hesitant, wary, or distrustful, especially because of previous unpleasant experience.

Origin of gun-shy

First recorded in 1880–85

gun-shy·ness, noun

France wants to lead the effort jointly with Britain, but the U.K., also gun-shy after the Iraq war, backs the NATO tack.

Libya: Allied Airstrikes Pummel Libya |The Daily Beast |March 19, 2011 |DAILY BEAST
Attorney General Eric Holder says it will be a priority; Speaker Nancy Pelosi so far has been gun-shy about taking on the issue.

Worse Than the War |John Avlon |April 9, 2009 |DAILY BEAST
She first had to get her pony to stand She knew it was not gun-shy.

Ruth Fielding in the Great Northwest |Alice B. Emerson
Only one of them except Devant gave the gun-shy dog a thought.

Frank of Freedom Hill |Samuel A. Derieux

You've got three men in yo' posse who could hit a house from inside, the rest being as gun-shy as a school of girls.

Curly |Roger Pocock
He had, too, the reputation of being the most gun-shy and bullet-proof of social lions.

The Purple Heights |Marie Conway Oemler
Don't let him see you doing it or he'll get gun-shy an' jump th' country.

Hopalong Cassidy |Clarence E. Mulford

gun-shy

afraid of a gun or the sound it makes a gun-shy dog is useless for shooting