shot across the bow
/ˈʃɑt əˌkɹɔs ðə ˈbaʊ/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.21 in modern English
29
Scrabble Score
16
Letters
1
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A warning that negative consequences will be faced if something is carried out or allowed to continue.
Example Sentences
- "President [Franklin] Pierce, like a great war ship, fired two shots across the bows of the Congress, to bring matters to."
- "Scientists considered collectively are remarkably single-minded in their views about what is important and what is not. If a graduate student gives a seminar and no one comes or no one asks a question, it is very sad, but not so sad as the question gallantly put by a senior or a colleague that betrays that he hasn't listened to a word. But it is a warning sign, a shot across the bows."
- "Though I have fired a few shots across the bows of some of my critics, notably the late Professor Lon Fuller and Professor R[onald] M[yles] Dworkin, I have hitherto made no general comprehensive reply to any of them; I have preferred to watch and learn from a most instructive running debate in which some of the critics have differed from others as much as they have differed from me."
- "That part of the release wouldn't so much be a warning shot across the bow as one aimed right at the bridge, Kealty thought."
- "In fact, many members of Congress sought to influence or halt decision making altogether—firing shots across the bow designed to intimidate the adjudicators before a decision could be made. This sort of interference was and is entirely inconsistent with the rule of law."
- "While I'm persuaded by the Chairman's bona fides in this area, I think this is a shot across the bow. I'm sure the Attorney General and his representatives can discern what import and I hope the sentiment of the full Committee are."
Etymology
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈʃɑt əˌkɹɔs ðə ˈbaʊ/
- British English: /ˈʃɒt əˌkɹɒs ðə ˈbaʊ/