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Definition of parting shot - 3 dictionary results

parting shot

–noun
a threat, insult, condemnation, sarcastic retort, or the like, uttered upon leaving.

Origin:
1890–95; perh. by folk etym. from Parthian shot
parting shot  
n.  An act of aggression or retaliation, such as a retort or threat, that is made upon one's departure or at the end of a heated discussion.

parting shot

A final insult or last word in an argument, as in As she stalked out, Jane hurled as a parting shot, "And I quit!" This idiom apparently originated as a corruption of Parthian shot, referring to the practice of ancient Parthian warriors of turning back to shoot at their pursuers. [Late 1800s]

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