a shot across the bow



a shot across the bow

a warning to stop doing something The lawsuit is a shot across the bow to businesses that are competing unfairly.
Etymology: based on the military practice of aiming a shot across the bow ( a small explosion in front of a ship) to force it to stop
See also: across, bow, shot

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Titaniatə-TAYN-yə (English), tə-TAHN-yə (English), tie-TAYN-yə (English)Literature
ÅSeAW-se (Swedish)Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
Faustino-Spanish, Italian, Portuguese
Sabino-Italian
Mijo-Croatian, Serbian
Salut-Catalan