shot across the bow

English

WOTD – 5 July 2020

Etymology

From the naval tactic of firing a warning shot across the bow or front portion of a ship in order to force it to stop or alter its course.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈʃɒt əˌkɹɒs ðə ˈbaʊ/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈʃɑt əˌkɹɑs ðə ˈbaʊ/

• Audio (GA)

  (file)

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aʊ

Noun

shot across the bow (plural shots across the bow)

1. (idiomatic) A warning that negative consequences will be faced if something is carried out or allowed to continue.

   Synonym: warning shot

   • 1856 March, “Monthly Summary. [United States.]”, in George R[ex] Graham, editor, Graham’s American Monthly Magazine of Literature and Art, volume XLVIII, number 3, Philadelphia, Pa.: George R. Graham, […], →OCLC, page 267, column 1:

     President [Franklin] Pierce, like a great war ship, fired two shots across the bows of the Congress, to bring matters to.

   • 1979, P[eter] B[rian] Medawar, “What Shall I Do Research on?”, in Advice to a Young Scientist (Alfred P. Sloan Foundation series), New York, N.Y.: Basic Books, →ISBN, pages 13–14:

     Scientists considered collectively are remarkably single-minded in their views about what is important and what is not. If a graduate student gives a seminar and no one comes or no one asks a question, it is very sad, but not so sad as the question gallantly put by a senior or a colleague that betrays that he hasn't listened to a word. But it is a warning sign, a shot across the bows.

   • 1992, H[erbert] L[ionel] A[dolphus] Hart, “Postscript”, in The Concept of Law, 3rd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, published 2012, →ISBN, pages 238–239:

     Though I have fired a few shots across the bows of some of my critics, notably the late Professor Lon Fuller and Professor R[onald] M[yles] Dworkin, I have hitherto made no general comprehensive reply to any of them; I have preferred to watch and learn from a most instructive running debate in which some of the critics have differed from others as much as they have differed from me.

   • 1994 August 17, Tom Clancy, Debt of Honor, New York, N.Y.: G[eorge] P[almer] Putnam’s Sons, →ISBN; republished as Debt of Honor‎^[1], New York, N.Y.: Berkley Books, 2014, →ISBN:

     That part of the release wouldn't so much be a warning shot across the bow as one aimed right at the bridge, Kealty thought.

   • 2000, William B. Gould IV, “Congress Instructs the NLRB”, in Labored Relations: Law, Politics, and the NLRB—A Memoir, Cambridge, Mass., London: MIT Press, →ISBN; 1st paperback edition, Cambridge, Mass., London: MIT Press, 2001, →ISBN, pages 167–168:

     In fact, many members of Congress sought to influence or halt decision making altogether—firing shots across the bow designed to intimidate the adjudicators before a decision could be made. This sort of interference was and is entirely inconsistent with the rule of law.

   • 2001 July 10, John Conyers Jr., “Amendment to H.R. 2215 Offered by Mr. Conyers”, in 21st Century Department of Justice Appropriations Authorization Act: [...] Report together with Additional Views: […] (House of Representatives, 107th Congress, 1st Session, Report; 107-125), [Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office], →OCLC, page 107:

     While I'm persuaded by the Chairman's bona fides in this area, I think this is a shot across the bow. I'm sure the Attorney General and his representatives can discern what import and I hope the sentiment of the full Committee are.

   • 2007, David Geltner, Norman G. Miller, Jim Clayton, Piet Eicholtz, Commercial Real Estate Analysis & Investments, 2nd edition, Mason, Oh.: Cengage Learning, →ISBN, page 397:

     This is often used as a "shot across the bow," warning the borrower how seriously the lender views the default.

   • 2007, Jeffrey Toobin, “To the Brink”, in The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court, New York, N.Y.: Doubleday, →ISBN; 1st Anchor Books edition, New York, N.Y.: Anchor Books, September 2008, →ISBN, page 180:

     This was a shot across the bow of the Florida justices, a warning against further activism in this case, but one with relatively little practical significance at this late date.

   • 2008, Chris Lauer et al., The Management Gurus: Lessons from the Best Management Books of All Time (Soundview Executive Book Summaries)‎^[2], New York, N.Y.: Portfolio, →ISBN:

     Before punishing, place a shot across the bow—provide a clear warning to let people know exactly what negative things will happen should they continue down their current path, but don't actually administer discipline yet.

   • 2013, Lucinda Riley, chapter 28, in The Midnight Rose, London: Macmillan, →ISBN; republished London: Pan Books, 2014, →ISBN, page 379:

     Perhaps her refusal to marry him would be the shot across the bows Jack needed to help him face his demons. But somehow she doubted it.

Alternative forms

• shot across the bows

Translations

warning that negative consequences will be faced

• Finnish: varoituslaukaus
• German: Schuss vor den Bug m
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: skudd for baugen (no) n, advarsel (no) m

  Nynorsk: advarsel (nn) m

• Russian: предупреди́тельный вы́стрел m (predupredítelʹnyj výstrel)

References

• “a (warning) shot across the bows”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.