How did "having one's name on a bullet" originate?

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How did "having one's name on a bullet" originate?

Question #98948. Asked by tjoebigham.

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zbeckabee

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zbeckabee

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Answer has 13 votes.

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Old soldiers and veterans worldwide will tell you that ‘if a bullet has your name on it, it will never miss’.

Everyone's going to die; the only question is, how? Soldiers refer to this certainty as "a bullet with your name on it."

http://www.bulletwithmynameonit.com/

http://www.bordersstores.com/search/title_detail.jsp?id=56991501&srchTerms=bullet+name+on+it&mediaType=1&srchType=Keyword

I suspect, as Arpeggionist states, that it may go back a long way.

Aug 28 2008, 10:36 AM

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Answer 1

I suppose you could tie it down (figuratively) to designation of arrows or spears for certain people, in which case the origin of the phrase can be traced back to the Bible - to the book of Samuel, in which King Saul threatens to kill David and aims his spear "to David and the wall".

How did "having one's name on a bullet" originate?

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