Meaning
A modal used to express a future action that is being planned or prepared for in the present.
Etymology
Origin: Unknown
Contraction of going to. Attested since 1913 (OED, "gonna"). The pronunciation of present participles with the sound n rather than ng has a long history (see g-dropping on Wikipedia).
NYT Puzzle Appearances
Accepted in 14 recorded puzzles:
- 2026-01-05AGONYKI
- 2025-12-12AZGOLIN
- 2025-09-03GAUNTRON
- 2025-08-10GAOMENT
- 2025-06-28OAPLGNY
- 2025-04-26OALHGIN
- 2025-03-20GUAROND
- 2025-02-20ORANGFI
- 2024-03-17NYAPLGO
- 2024-03-04GACENOT
- 2024-02-03ONALGEH
- 2023-09-22GRAPDNO
+2 earlier appearances in the archive.