shot

shot¹

—shotless, adj. —shotlike, adj.

/shot/, n., pl. shots or, for 6, 8, shot; v., shotted, shotting.

n.

1. a discharge of a firearm, bow, etc.

2. the range of or the distance traveled by a missile in its flight.

3. an aimed discharge of a missile.

4. an attempt to hit a target with a missile.

5. an act or instance of shooting a firearm, bow, etc.

6. a small ball or pellet of lead, a number of which are loaded in a cartridge and used for one charge of a shotgun.

7. such pellets collectively: a charge of shot.

8. a projectile for discharge from a firearm or cannon.

9. such projectiles collectively: shot and shell.

10. a person who shoots; marksman: He was a good shot.

11. Slang. a blow; punch: The prizefighter was knocked out by a shot in the chin.

12. anything like a shot, esp. in being sudden and forceful.

13. a heavy metal ball that competitors cast as far as possible in shot-putting contests.

14. an aimed stroke, throw, or the like, as in certain games, esp. in an attempt to score.

15. an attempt or try: He's entitled to a shot at the championship.

16. a remark aimed at some person or thing.

17. a guess at something.

18. a hypodermic injection, as of a serum, vaccine, narcotic, or anaesthetic: He took a series of immunizing shots for hay fever.

19. a small quantity, esp. an ounce, of undiluted liquor.

20. an amount due, esp. at a tavern.

21. Photog.

a. a photograph, esp. a snapshot: Here's a nice shot of my kids.

b. the act of making a photograph, esp. a snapshot.

22. Motion Pictures, Television. a unit of action photographed without interruption and constituting a single camera view.

23. an explosive charge in place for detonation, as in mining or quarrying.

24. Metall. comparatively hard globules of metal in the body of a casting.

25. Naut. a 90-foot (27-m) length of anchor cable or chain.

26. Checkers. a compulsory series of exchanges, especially when it proves favorable to the aggressor.

27. Textiles.

a. a pick sent through the shed in a single throw of the shuttle.

b. (in carpet weaving) filling yarn used to bind the pile to the fabric, usually expressed with a preceding number representing the quantity of picks used: three-shot carpet.

c. a defect in a fabric caused by an unusual color or size in the yarn.

28. a chance with odds for and against; a bet: a 20 to 1 shot that his horse will come in first.

29. by a long shot. See long shot (def. 4).

30. call one's shots, Informal. to indicate beforehand what one intends to do and how one intends to do it.

31. call the shots, Informal. to have the power or authority to make decisions or control policy: Now that he's chairman of the board, he calls the shots.

32. have or take a shot at, make an attempt at: I'll have a shot at solving the problem.

33. like a shot, instantly; quickly: He bolted out of here like a shot.

34. shot in the arm, Informal. something that results in renewed vigor, confidence, etc.; stimulus: Her recent promotion has given her a shot in the arm. The new members gave the club a shot in the arm.

35. shot in the dark, Informal. a wild guess; a random conjecture.

v.t.

36. to load or supply with shot.

37. to weight with shot.

v.i.

38. to manufacture shot, as in a shot tower.

[bef. 900; ME; OE sc(e)ot, (ge)sceot; c. G Schoss, Geschoss; akin to SHOOT]

Syn. 15. chance, go, essay.

shot²

/shot/, v.

1. pt. and pp. of shoot.

adj.

2. woven so as to present a play of colors; having a changeable color; variegated, as silk.

3. spread or streaked with color: the dawn sky shot with gold.

4. in hopelessly bad condition; ruined: Those sneakers are really shot. His morale is shot.

5. Slang. intoxicated.

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