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call the shots

 [shot]   Origin

shot

1   [shot] noun, plural shots or, for 6, 8, shot; verb, shot·ted, shot·ting.
noun
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.
EXPAND
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, especially 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, especially 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, especially an ounce, of undiluted liquor.
20.
an amount due, especially at a tavern.
21.
Photography.
a.
a photograph, especially a snapshot: Here's a nice shot of my kids.
b.
the act of making a photograph, especially a snapshot.
22.
Movies, 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.
Metallurgy. comparatively hard globules of metal in the body of a casting.
25.
Nautical. a 90-foot (27-meter) 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.
COLLAPSE
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verb (used with object)
29.
to load or supply with shot.
30.
to weight with shot.

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Call the shots is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
verb (used without object)
31.
to manufacture shot, as in a shot tower.
Idioms
32.
by a long shot. long shot (def. 4).
33.
call one's shots, Informal. to indicate beforehand what one intends to do and how one intends to do it.
34.
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.
35.
have/take a shot at, make an attempt at: I'll have a shot at solving the problem.
36.
like a shot, instantly; quickly: He bolted out of here like a shot.
EXPAND
37.
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.
38.
shot in the dark, Informal. a wild guess; a random conjecture.
COLLAPSE
Origin:
before 900; Middle English; Old English sc(e)ot, (ge)sceot; cognate with German Schoss, Geschoss; akin to shoot

Related forms
shot·less, adjective
shot·like, adjective

Synonyms
15. chance, go, essay.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To call the shots
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

shot
O.E. scot, sceot "an act of shooting, that which is discharged in shooting," from P.Gmc. *skutan (cf. O.N. skutr, O.Fris. skete, M.Du. scote, Ger. Schuß "a shot"), related to sceotan "to shoot" (see shoot). Meaning "discharge of a bow, missile," is from O.E. gesceot;
EXPAND
extended to other projectiles in M.E., and to sports (hockey, basketball, etc.) 1868. Another original meaning, "payment," is preserved in scot-free. Meaning "drink of straight liquor" first attested 1676. Meaning "try, attempt" is from 1756; adj. sense of "exhausted" is from 1930. Sense of "hypodermic injection" first attested 1904; fig. phrase shot in the arm "stimulant" first recorded 1922. Meaning "remark meant to wound" is recorded from 1841; hence cheap shot (1973). To call the shots is first attested 1967; shot in the dark is from 1895.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

shot (shŏt)
n.

  1. A hypodermic injection.

  2. A small amount given or applied at one time.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary

call (all) the shots definition


  1. tv.
    to decide on the course of action; to be in charge. : Why do you have to call all the shots?
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source

shot definition


  1. n.
    a try at something. : Go ahead. Give it another shot.
  2. mod.
    exhausted; ruined. : Here's your pen back. It's shot anyway.
  3. n.
    a rocket launching. : The shot was canceled because of the weather.
  4. n.
    a small or quickly drunk drink of liquor, usually whiskey. : He stopped at every bar on the strip for a quick shot.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

call the shots

Exercise authority, be in charge, as in It's up to the boss to call the shots. This term probably alludes to determining accuracy in target practice. [Mid-1900s] Also see call the tune.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
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