potshot

potshot
potshot (n.) 1858, "shot taken at animal simply to kill for food," in other words, to get it in the pot, not for sporting or marksmanship; from POT (Cf. pot) (n.1) + SHOT (Cf. shot) (n.). Extended sense of "opportunistic criticism" first recorded 1926.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • Potshot — can refer to at least two things: * Potshot : a Spenser novel by Robert B. Parker * Potshot, a former J ska music group from Japan …   Wikipedia

  • potshot — ► NOUN ▪ a shot aimed unexpectedly or at random. ORIGIN originally a shot at an animal intended for the pot, i.e. for food, rather than for display (which would require skilled shooting) …   English terms dictionary

  • potshot — [pät′shät΄] n. 1. a pothunter s shot 2. an easy shot, as at close range 3. a random shot 4. a haphazard try 5. a random criticism or attack …   English World dictionary

  • potshot — I. noun Etymology: from the notion that such a shot is unsportsmanlike and worthy only of one whose object is to fill the cooking pot Date: 1858 1. a shot taken from ambush or at a random or easy target 2. a critical remark made in a random or… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • potshot — /pot shot /, n., v., potshot or potshotted, potshotting. n. 1. a shot fired at game merely for food, with little regard to skill or the rules of sport. 2. a shot at an animal or person within easy range, as from ambush. 3. a casual or aimless… …   Universalium

  • potshot — n. (colloq.) critical remark to take a potshot at * * * (colloq.) [ critical remark ] to take a potshot at …   Combinatory dictionary

  • potshot — Synonyms and related words: aspersion, blind bargain, bowshot, bullet, cannon, chance at odds, charge, cock, crack, criticism, cut, detonate, detonation, dig, discharge, drop, eject, ejection, fell, fire, fire off, fusillade, gambling chance,… …   Moby Thesaurus

  • potshot — [19] A potshot was originally a shot taken at an animal or bird simply in order to kill it for food – in order to get it into the ‘pot’, in other words – rather than in accordance with the strict code and precise techniques of shooting as a… …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

  • potshot n — With a gun in the kitchen you can take a potshot …   English expressions

  • potshot — n. a sharp criticism; a wild shot of criticism. (Usually with take.) □ Please stop taking potshots at me! □ He took a potshot at my old car …   Dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions

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