Meaning of Idiom ‘Shoot From the Hip’
To shoot from the hip means to speak or react impulsively or recklessly without thinking first about the consequences; to speak frankly and directly with no forethought.
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Usage Notes
It is often said that ‘to shoot from the hip’ means to be honest. However, the idiom is not a synonym for honest as it also alludes to a quick reaction. You can think about what you want to say before you say it and still be honest. As well, this idiom can be used to refer to statements that are not necessarily honest but are simply given quickly without much forethought.
Examples Of Use
“His habit of shooting from the hip without weighing his words often gets him into trouble.”
“He comes into organizations and shoots from the hip without consulting anybody. While it is this blunt tendency that helps win over the boards that hire him, he has run more than one company into the ground, leaving unscathed to find another victim.”
“It’s unusual to hear a judge shoot from the hip as did this federal judge today. The actions and attitude of the defendant were just too much for the judge to ignore.”
“He does tend to shoot from the hip but he always listens to others’ opinions and weighs them carefully.”
Origin
Used since the mid-1900s, this idiom alludes to drawing a gun from a holster and shooting it without raising it to aim or shooting a rifle, shotgun, etc. without raising it to the shoulder so that it can be properly aimed. Shooting with the gun at the hip or from a position near the hip allows for fast firing but results in wildly inaccurate shots.
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