shot

shot

shot¹ [shät]

n.

[ME < OE sceot < sceotan (akin to ON skot, Ger schuss): see SHOOT]

1. the act of shooting; discharge of a missile, esp. from a gun

2.

a) the distance over which a missile travels

b) range; reach; scope

3. an attempt to hit with a missile

4.

a) any attempt or try

b) a guess or conjecture

5. a pointed, critical remark

6.

a) in various games, the flight or path of a ball, puck, etc. after it is shot toward a goal or other object

b) a stroke, as in tennis or golf

c) an attempt to score, as in basketball or hockey

d) a solid projectile designed for discharge from a firearm or cannon, as distinguished from an explosive shell

e) such projectiles collectively

f) lead or steel in small pellets, of which a quantity is used for a single charge of a shotgun

g) a single pellet of this kind

7. the heavy metal ball used in the SHOT PUT

8. a blast, or the amount of explosive used for a blast, as in mining

9. a marksman [a fair shot ]

10.

☆ a) the act of taking a single photograph

b) a single photograph

c) a single, continuous image as taken on film, videotape, or by a live TV camera

11. [cf. SCOT] an amount due, esp. for drinks or entertainment

12. a hypodermic injection, as of vaccine

☆ 13. a drink of liquor; specif., JIGGER²

14. Informal something to bet on, considered from the standpoint of odds or chances of winning [a horse that is a ten-to-one shot]

15. Naut. a 90-foot length of chain, esp. for an anchor

vt.

shotted, shotting

to load or weight with shot

——————

a shot in the arm

something that bolsters up, reinvigorates, encourages, etc., esp. in a difficult situation

——————

call the shots Informal

1. to give orders

2. to control what is done or what happens

——————

have a shot at or take a shot at

Informal to make a try at

——————

like a shot

1. quickly; rapidly

2. suddenly

shot² [shät]

vt., vi.

pt. & pp. of SHOOT

adj.

1. variegated, streaked, flecked, etc. with another color or substance

2. woven with threads of different colors so as to appear iridescent

3. varied with something different [a novel shot through with pathos ]

☆ 4. Informal ruined or worn out