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cheap shot
cheap shot
1. A physical blow struck against someone who is unready or unprepared. If often applies to sports in which physical contact is involved. Duane just sucker-punched Jimbo. What a cheap shot! The boxer took a cheap shot against his opponent before the round started, and the referee halted the match.
2. A mean or unfair criticism. I didn't appreciate that cheap shot you took at me at the party. You made me look foolish in front of our friends.
cheap shot
An unfair or unsporting verbal attack, as in You called him an amateur? That's really taking a cheap shot. The term originated in sports, especially American football, where it signifies deliberate roughness against an unprepared opponent. [Slang; second half of 1900s]
cheap shot
n. a remark that takes advantage of someone else’s vulnerability. It’s easy to get a laugh with a cheap shot at cats.