potshot
potshot · potshots
Schuss aufs Geratewohl, Seitenhieb
A shot taken at an easy or random targetA shot taken at an easy or random target.
US/pˈɑʃˌɑt/
» The old farmer takes potshots at people who stray too close to his property.
Meaning
2 sensesA shot taken at an easy or random target.
to take a potshot at
a shot taken at an easy or casual target (as by a pothunter)
(figuratively)Criticism of an easy target; a cheap shot.
Schuss aufs Geratewohl, Seitenhieb
criticism aimed at an easy target and made without careful consideration
Examples
1 sentencesThe old farmer takes potshots at people who stray too close to his property.
Translations
1 languagesDeutsch
By meaning 2
shot at an easy target or at random:
criticism of an easy target:
Origin
From pot + shot. 1858, shot taken for the (cooking) pot, namely for food; see pothunter. SFrom pot + shot. 1858, shot taken for the (cooking) pot, namely for food; see pothunter. Sense “opportunistic criticism” from 1926. Sense “drunk” from obsolete pot (“cup used for drinking liquor”).
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source