potshot

[ pot-shot ]

noun

1. a shot fired at game merely for food, with little regard to skill or the rules of sport.
2. a shot at an animal or person within easy range, as from ambush.
3. a casual or aimless shot.
4. a random or incidental criticism:

   to take a potshot at military spending in a speech on taxation.

verb (used without object)

, pot·shot or pot·shot·ted, pot·shot·ting.

1. to fire or aim potshots:

   critics potshotting at the administration.

Word History and Origins

Origin of potshot¹

First recorded in 1855–60; pot ¹ + shot ¹

Example Sentences

Witness Donald Trump recently questioning the racial identity of his opponent, Kamala Harris, a race-baiting potshot that dredges up ingrained prejudices against biracial Americans that stretch back to the antebellum South.

From Los Angeles Times

Those potshots elicited a heavy eye roll from Riley’s new quarterback, Miller Moss.

From Los Angeles Times

Trump’s team was more meandering and given to stray potshots, missing more than they hit.

From Los Angeles Times

“But the editorializing — the excessive, unnecessary commentary about an uncharged individual — felt like political potshots.”

From New York Times

That gun became a symbol of the attack when he was captured on video with it, roaming the balustrade of the Arts Faculty and taking potshots at passers-by, injuring several.

From BBC