like a martin to his gourd

English

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Alternative forms

• like a martin to its gourd

Phrase

like a martin to his gourd

1. (simile, US, regional) Straight, unerringly, directly.
   • 1968, Charles Portis, True Grit:

     The ball flew to its mark like a martin to his gourd and Lucky Ned Pepper fell dead in the saddle.

   • 2008, Paul Self, No Lower Place, page 219:

     Whether all of the above was reason enough I don't know, but I left East St. Louis and, like a martin to its gourd, I headed back to the cotton fields of southeastern Missouri.