Shoot from the hip_其他_趣味英语-查字典英语网

Shoot from the hip

Often, of course, through the very mouth of a government spokesman.

That is why this said shoot-from-the-hip spokesman must be replaced.

Or he would “get us into trouble”.

Anyways, “shoot from the hip” is an American expression developed in the go-West pioneering years of the colonial era. If you watch John Wayne or Clint Eastwood shoot-them-up western movies, you’ll see a lot of heroes, or villains for that matter, wearing their pistols on the hip. That way, they can pull them out quickly and fire away in case of an emergency.

Hence the expression, which means a quick, immediate, instinctive reaction which sometimes, as in the case of a spokesperson, may not be the best approach to take.

Alright, here are two recent media examples:

1. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Thursday that he is willing to hold talks with his Colombian counterpart, Alvaro Uribe, on easing tensions between the South American neighbors.

Chavez said he wants to “turn the page” following a verbal altercation with Uribe during a summit of Latin American and Caribbean leaders this week in Mexico.

The socialist leader acknowledged he and Uribe traded insults during a summit dinner, though he did not give full details.

According to an official who was at the meeting, Uribe told Chavez to “be a man” and the Venezuelan leader told him to “go to hell.” The official spoke on condition of anonymity because delegations agreed not to discuss the spat publicly...