IdiomDaily Life
English
Englishtake potshots at
Meaning: To criticize someone in a casual, unfair or opportunistic way.
Example: “The columnist spends every Sunday taking potshots at the city council.”
Origin: A "pot shot," recorded from 1836, was a shot taken only to get food for the pot, with no regard for sporting rules. By the 1920s it meant a cheap or random attack, including in words.
Equivalents in other languages
French: Envoyer des piques Literally: To send pikes
More English idioms
- not believe one's ears To be so surprised by what one hears that it seems impossible.
- cross the Rubicon To take an irreversible step.
- like a bear with a sore head In a very bad, irritable mood.
- dead on one's feet To be utterly exhausted.
- fall flat on one's face To fail completely and embarrassingly.
- burst someone's bubble To destroy someone's illusion or happy belief.
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