1. Home
2. Idioms
3. fire a shot across bows

fire a shot across bows

---

---

fire a shot across somebody's/the bows

  (slightly formal)

if you fire a shot across someone's bows, you do something in order to warn them that you will take strong action if they do not change their behaviour Airline staff have fired a warning shot across the company's bows by threatening strike action if higher pay increases are not offered.

See also: across, bow, fire, shot