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View synonyms for parting shot

parting shot

noun

  1. a threat, insult, condemnation, sarcastic retort, or the like, uttered upon leaving.


parting shot

noun

  1. a hostile remark or gesture delivered while departing Also calledParthian shot
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of parting shot1

First recorded in 1890–95; perhaps by folk etymology from Parthian shot
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Idioms and Phrases

A final insult or last word in an argument, as in As she stalked out, Jane hurled as a parting shot , “ And I quit! ” This idiom apparently originated as a corruption of Parthian shot , referring to the practice of ancient Parthian warriors of turning back to shoot at their pursuers. [Late 1800s]
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Example Sentences

“It’s my parting shot,” she said.

And the judge's parting shot carried, perhaps, just a hint of exasperation.

From BBC

Penn State was just getting started even if the Bruins did deliver a parting shot with Martin’s late touchdown pass.

However, the Huskies haven’t been elite in a long time and Saturday’s 91-75 defeat — UW’s eighth straight loss to Arizona — was one last parting shot from the Wildcats before they head to the Big 12 next season.

She is evasive when asked about reported sightings of Navarro — who we see walking onto the ice, alone, then standing on a porch next to Danvers in the parting shot of the season.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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parting of the waysparting strip