potshot
noun /ˈpɒtʃɒt/
/ˈpɑːtʃɑːt/
(also pot)
(informal)- a shot that somebody fires without aiming carefully
- Somebody took a potshot at him as he drove past.
- (figurative) The newspapers took constant potshots at (= criticized) the president.
Word Originmid 19th cent.: originally a shot at an animal intended for the pot, i.e. purely for food, rather than for display (which would require skilled shooting according to hunting rules).