Dictionary

long shot en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Etymology

From long + shot. The term arose from the accuracy of early naval guns, which were effective only at close range and unlikely to hit the mark at any great distance.

Meanings

1. A shot fired at a distant target.
   • "It is of course a most foolish thing twice to take a long shot in a capercailzie wood, as you know," said the captain, appealing to me; "but the last time I had no choice, because I heard that villainous Andreas stalking the bird at the same time." 1886, Peter Christen Asbjø￵rnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 74:
2. (idiomatic) Something unlikely; something that has little chance of happening or working; long odds.
   • We can try your plan, but it's a long shot and it probably won't work.
   • His reign in Paris — full of flexed biceps, forehand winners and underrated court craft — is one of the great achievements in any sport, and though a 15th title is a long shot at this late stage, all we know for certain is that Nadal will not be winning it this year. 2023 May 18, Christopher Clarey, “Even as He’s Out, Rafael Nadal Will Always Be a Part of the French Open”, in The New York Times:
   • A long shot, it may be, at immortality, but longer ones have hit; or Guido Fawkes, William Tell, and Samuel Pepys were forgotten now. 1927, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], Max Carrados Mysteries:
3. A master shot, the primary wide shot of a scene into which the closeups will be edited later.
4. Synonym of long take; a single, continuous shot that lasts for an unusually long duration without any cuts.

Forms

Relateds

by a long shot

Synonyms

continuous take · single shot · wide shot · oner · long take · continuous shot · establishing shot

Translations (6)

de ziemlich aussichtsloses Unterfangen (Something unlikely) · de ziemlich hoffnungsloser Fall (Something unlikely) · es posibilidad remota (Something unlikely) · es posibilidad muy remota (Something unlikely) · ar قَلِيْلُ ٱلاِحْتِمالِ (Something unlikely) · pl ryzyko (Something unlikely)