call the shots en · VERB
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
From sports.
Meanings
-
(US) To make the decisions; to be in charge; to give orders.
Myanmar's Shan state, which borders both China and Thailand, is the wild wild east. And in many parts of the state, it's well-armed ethnic militias, not Myanmar's military, who call the shots.
2019 July 4, Michael Sullivan, “In Myanmar, Methamphetamine, Synthetic Drug Production Soars”, in NPR, archived from the original on 21 Apr 2021:The conventional wisdom in Washington is that Iran’s elections are insignificant. Regardless of who wins, the argument goes, in the end, it’s the supreme leader who calls the shots.
2021 June 22, Ali Vaez, Dina Esfandiary, “The Hard-Liners Won in Iran. That’s Not All Bad News.”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 15 Aug 2021:Israel’s strikes on Monday were launched just hours after Trump had called the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to urge him not to retaliate immediately for an Iranian missile attack on Sunday night, with the US president saying: “I call all the shots. He [Netanyahu]^([sic]) doesn’t call the shots.”
2026 June 8, Mark Saunokonoko, “Israel strikes Iran despite Trump plea as Middle East crisis threatens to escalate”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:In today's health care system, insurance companies call the shots. They pick whom they cover and how they cover them. They can cut off your benefits when you need your coverage the most. They are in charge.
1994 January 25, Bill Clinton, William Jefferson Clinton's Second State of the Union Address:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| calling the shots | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| calls the shots | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| called the shots | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| called the shots | Tense=Past | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Relateds
Synonyms
Translations (25)
de sagen, wo es langgeht (to make decisions) · es tener la última palabra (to make decisions) · ca remenar les cireres (to make decisions) · it condurre il gioco (to make decisions) · fi määrätä (to make decisions) · de den Ton angeben (to make decisions) · es cortar el bacalao (to make decisions) · fr commander (to make decisions) · fr mener le branle (to make decisions) · fr mener le jeu (to make decisions) · fr mener le bal (to make decisions) · ca donar la nota (to make decisions) · ru заправля́ть (to make decisions) · es ser quien manda (to make decisions) · fr décider (to make decisions) · es ser el jefe (to make decisions) · es mandar (to make decisions) · es llevar la batuta (to make decisions) · es llevar la voz cantante (to make decisions) · ca tallar el bacallà (to make decisions) · fr mener la danse (to make decisions) · bg поръчвам музиката (to make decisions) · ru зака́зывать му́зыку (to make decisions) · bg поръчам музиката (to make decisions) · fi tehdä päätökset (to make decisions)