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The Business End

Sean in New York City is curious about the expression the business end, as in the business end of a gun. It’s simply “the end of an object that fulfills its function or purpose,” such as the business end of a shovel, the business end of a nail, the business end of a stick, the business end of a snake, and the business end of a wasp. In addition, the term business can mean “difficulty” or “fuss” or “bother,” as in to give someone the business which means “to give someone a hard time. This is part of a complete episode.

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