give it one's best shot



give it one's best shot

Make one's hardest or most enthusiastic attempt, as in I don't know if I can do it, but I'll give it my best shot. This expression employs shot in the sense of "attempt," a usage dating from the mid-1700s.
See also: give, shot

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Anzhelina-Russian
RitaREE-tə (English), REE-tah (German)Italian, English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Hungarian, Spanish, Portuguese
Ludovikoloo-do-VEE-koEsperanto
TereTE-reSpanish
Dwyer['dwaiə]
ChaliceCHAL-isEnglish (Rare)