shoot from the hip

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word shoot from the hip. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word shoot from the hip, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say shoot from the hip in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word shoot from the hip you have here. The definition of the word shoot from the hip will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofshoot from the hip, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

English

Verb

shoot from the hip (third-person singular simple present shoots from the hip, present participle shooting from the hip, simple past and past participle shot from the hip)

  1. (literally) To discharge a firearm while it is held near the hip, without taking time to aim via the gunsights.
    • 1914, Arthur Conan Doyle, “The German War”, in The Contemptible Little Army:
      “As to their rifle fire, it was useless.” “They shoot from the hip, and don’t seem to aim at anything in particular.”
  2. (figuratively) To speak or act quickly based on first impressions, without carefully studying the background information, wider context, etc.
    • 2016 June 15, Thomas L. Friedman, “Opinion: Lessons of Hiroshima and Orlando”, in New York Times, retrieved 10 May 2018:
      Trump is shooting from the hip, spraying insults 360 degrees, telling lies, stoking fears and making threats that many in our military and the F.B.I. would refuse to implement.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

See also