Idiom
shoot from the lip
Meaning
To speak confidently and unhesitantly but without careful forethought or a reliable knowledge of important facts pertaining to the subject matter.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“He often shoots from the lip without checking the facts first.”
“I often shoot from the lip when I feel nervous in social situations.”
“Stop shooting from the lip and listen to the actual instructions.”
“During the meeting, the manager shot from the lip and promised a deadline that the team could not possibly meet.”
“You should prepare your presentation carefully instead of shooting from the lip and giving the clients incorrect pricing information.”
“The young intern shot from the lip during the interview, claiming she knew how to use software that she had never actually opened.”
“The politician was known to shoot from the lip, frequently making bold claims that lacked any foundation in reality or evidence.”
Examples
simple
“He often shoots from the lip without checking the facts first.”
“I often shoot from the lip when I feel nervous in social situations.”
“Stop shooting from the lip and listen to the actual instructions.”
contextual
“During the meeting, the manager shot from the lip and promised a deadline that the team could not possibly meet.”
“You should prepare your presentation carefully instead of shooting from the lip and giving the clients incorrect pricing information.”
“The young intern shot from the lip during the interview, claiming she knew how to use software that she had never actually opened.”
complex
“The politician was known to shoot from the lip, frequently making bold claims that lacked any foundation in reality or evidence.”
Origin
The phrase emerged as a humorous alteration of the earlier idiom shoot from the hip. The original expression referred to the speed of a gunslinger's draw, while this variant substitutes the anatomical location to indicate an equivalent lack of restraint in speech.
Key words
Related idioms
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